Bin strike row over Bonfire Night
PRIVATE contractors will be brought in to cover for striking bin men amid fears uncollected rubbish could lead to a spate of fires around Bonfire Night.
Nicola Sturgeon yesterday backed Glasgow City Council’s decision to consider bringing in extra staff after a Labour MSP said it was ‘disgraceful’ during industrial action.
The GMB trade union bin strike in Glasgow began this week as world leaders descended on the city for the global environment summit.
The First Minister said the action was being taken because of the ‘additional fire risk’ caused by uncollected rubbish on Bonfire Night, and said the strike action was ‘disappointing’. Last night, a spokesman for the SNP-run city council said: ‘A request was put to GMB for an exemption from the strike action to allow cleansing staff to remove material potentially to be used for bonfires.
‘Despite the obvious risk to public safety this material can create, we received no response from GMB. However, we will have teams out across the city responding to reports of accumulation of material, supporting the police and fire service and helping to make neighbourhoods safer.’ Miss Sturgeon said the council has concerns about Bonfire Night ‘posing an additional fire risk if rubbish is not collected, so what they are considering is cover to mitigate these risks’.
She added: ‘What they are not considering is using contractors to fulfil the regular duties of striking staff.’
Paul Sweeney, Labour MSP for Glasgow, said: ‘As a member of the GMB trade union, I think that Glasgow City Council threatening to unionbust by using anti-trade union laws and bussing in blackleg private contractors to try to break the strike is disgraceful.’