How Nicola beats the bin strikes
Rubbish collected by private firm
rubbish may be piling up all around during the bin strikes in scotland.
but everything is rosy if you’re Nicola sturgeon – whose litter is being collected from her official private residence by a private waste firm.
The scottish First Minister is under pressure to get the worsening rubbish situation under control after council refuse staff in Edinburgh walked out on August 18, blighting the Fringe Festival.
Now rubbish is piling up in other parts of scotland, including in Glasgow.
but the scottish government has a £43million contract with waste company Mitie, which collects rubbish from 70 public buildings in Edinburgh, including the First Minister’s residence bute house.
Last night a fresh pay offer was made to scottish council refuse collection staff to halt their strike action as talks entered their fifth day.
scottish local authority body Cosla said it remained in ‘intense active discussions’ with the GMb, unison and unite unions.
Miles briggs, scottish Tory spokesman for local government, said it was unfair for bute house to be ‘ spick and span’ while Edinburgh’s streets resemble a ‘ landfill site’. he added: ‘ Taxpayers who stump up for her bin collection to the tune of millions of pounds also pay for a proper council service, which they are being denied thanks to her government’s cuts and dithering. The sNP government must stop dodging responsibility, get round the table with councils and unions, and get this under control.’
Edinburgh refuse workers will return to work today with the next strike due to start on september 6. staff at 19 other councils currently locked in dispute will go back tomorrow, with more strikes scheduled.
Council leaders are continuing to negotiate after unions rejected a 5 per cent pay rise. it is understood that they are set to offer each worker at least an extra £1,925 instead.
scottish health secretary humza Yousaf said: ‘Public health scotland have made the point about the public health impacts of the bin strikes. Nobody wants to see that.’