A TRADE union has hit out at Glasgow City Council for failing to provide water for workers in searing heat.

GMB hit out at the local authority for meeting calls to provide water for staff on the frontline with "disdain" despite a council worker being hospitalised for heatstroke on Wednesday.

Branch secretary Rhea Wolfson told the Evening Times: “We had highlighted the hot weather to the council to say this is extreme weather for Glasgow, everyone’s uniforms, everyone’s vehicles aren’t built to deal with this weather.

“We had an incident where one of our members came out in a horrible heat rash and ended up in hospital.

“The council got back in touch to say ‘members can wear joggies if uniforms are too heavy’, that’s really not good enough."

When the union got in touch to request water be provided for staff working on the streets, such as traffic wardens and refuse workers, it said the council was unhelpful.

Ms Wolfson added: “People are out hauling bins, it’s quite heavy work so we asked the council if someone could go out to make sure people have access to water.

“They said ‘no, people can bring their own water and have access to water in public buildings’.

“We have been out today across the city, delivering litres and litres of water because, as we’ve discovered, they don’t have access to water.

She added: "It’s completely ridiculous. A bit of forethought could’ve resolved this issue.

“We’ve found the whole attitude of the council very unhelpful and it’s putting our members at risk.

“We’ve just been treated with disdain, particularly with our refuse members.

“It’s not our job to go out and deliver water. We’ve got council managers on salaries our members could never dream of and they’re telling us its’s unrealistic to give people water.

However, a Glasgow City Council spokesman disputed the claims, insisting water was available from council buildings.

A spokesman said: “Supervisors were instructed to ensure frontline staff receive sufficient breaks during their working day to help them contend with the high temperatures.

“Any staff member requiring fresh drinking water can access this from any of the council buildings across the city.

“Staff were also given advice on how they can work safely outside on hot, sunny days.

“We will look at any potential changes to staff uniforms to ensure they are as suitable as possible for hot weather.”