In Glasgow earlier today COSLA met with the unions whose members are involved in strike action in Edinburgh, and who from Wednesday will strike elsewhere in 13 other council areas in Scotland.
The waste and cleansing staff in Edinburgh have been on strike since last Thursday with plans to keep striking until the end of the month unless a pay deal is struck.
Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said: “Naturally I’m disappointed that COSLA have once again failed to reach a deal with the Trade Unions.
“This is a national crisis playing out in Edinburgh’s streets during our busiest and most important time of the year. And while this clearly shows the value of our waste teams’ work, it also demonstrates a national failure to find an acceptable resolution.
“With strike action set to begin in councils across Scotland from tomorrow, we need The Scottish Government to get back round the table.
“I’ve written to Nicola Sturgeon today to invite her to join me and the Unions for a walk around the city centre to see first-hand the impact this is having on our capital city – the driving force of the Scottish economy.
“I want to thank our residents for bearing with us and for following our guidance, particularly around storing their waste. Our dedicated webpage has been viewed well over 150,000 times, which shows our message is getting out there, and we’re continuing to work with our partners across the city to reach visitors who may not be aware of the strike.
“We have a plan in place to get the city looking back to its best as soon as the strike is over and will provide regular updates on the resumption of services along with our latest advice.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
