The long-awaited Transport and Environment Committee meeting – the first since the elections in May was due to take place this morning. The virtual meeting did begin but was adjourned within 20 minutes sending a “strong message to the Scottish Government”.
The Transport and Environment Convener, Cllr Scott Arthur, convened the meeting and the roll call was conducted as all members attended on Microsoft Teams.
The Convener opened with a brief statement saying he was proud of his new role. He said: “I have taken up this role, but we have still to confirm the business plan for the council going forward. I hope we will discuss that at Full Council next week. There is a handful of things which have guided what I have been doing over the last few weeks and months.
“These have been our drive towards net zero by 2030, an agreement to reduce traffic miles in the city by 30 per cent, a desire to clean up our city, (and that goes beyond the city centre) and the final thing that has been in my mind is the wellbeing of our staff. That was why this morning I went to the picket line at Russell Road to speak to the staff who have started industrial action this morning – the waste and cleansing staff.
“I think it is worth reminding ourselves that the council many times during the last administration thanked these staff for the work they did to get us through the pandemic. Cllr Macinnes is on the call and will I am sure agree that very early on in the pandemic the risks the staff were taking were essentially unknown. We didn’t really understand the transmission properly at that stage. I was speaking to some of the council workers this morning about that very issue.
“I think thanks are not enough so I would like to make it clear that I personally support the trade union in their call for a fair pay rise. And I acknowledge that whilst the UK government could do more, only the Scottish Government can solve this crisis. It will soon become a crisis as waste builds up in the city. That is something which does concern me. So I wanted to make that statement and I hope all councillors will support the council staff and also call on the Scottish Government to deal with this. The reality is that The Scottish Government is unlikely to act until this strike goes national so we are in for a difficult few days in Edinburgh before there is a resolution to it. That is my feeling.
“In respect for what the council staff are going through just now, on strike, that is why this meeting was moved online, so that nobody crossed a picket line. I know some people still feel uncomfortable holding the meeting even online without a physical picket line. I move to adjourn this meeting to some future date but no earlier than 22 August.”
Cllr Claire Miller seconded the motion and the members of the committee voted in favour of pausing proceedings.
Liberal Democrat councillors voted against the motion but otherwise eight others supported the move. The meeting will now take place on 1 September 2022.
Cllr Arthur said to The Edinburgh Reporter: “I know the motion to adjourn came as a surprise to both my fellow Councillors and the public at the meeting, but I am grateful for their support. It shows that we back Council staff in their claim for a fair pay rise, and ask that The Scottish Government puts some money on the table.”
Cllr Arthur had begun his day at Russell Road where he met with waste and cleansing staff on the picket line. He thanked them for their work during the pandemic and supports their efforts to get a fair pay rise.
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