BINMEN in Glasgow have voted to take industrial action during COP26 amid a pay rise row with COSLA.

The cleansing workers have vowed to strike during the climate summit unless pay conditions are improved by the national employer. 

In a recent ballot carried out by the GMB, a majority of 96.9 per cent of members voted in favour of striking in response to COSLA's latest pay offer.

The union rejected the association's £850 pay rise proposal for those earning up to £25,000 a year after 95 per cent of staff balloted against the bid last month. 

GMB Glasgow Cleansing Convenor Chris Mitchell said: “Over the past 18 months throughout this awful pandemic, essential services across Scotland have been held together by an army of low paid workers.

“We were called key workers, even Covid heroes, but while politicians were happy to applaud us on Thursday nights, they’ve never put their hands in their pockets to pay us properly.

“The eyes of the world will be on Glasgow during COP 26, and our politicians now have a choice – will they fairly reward the frontline workers who got the country through the pandemic, or will they risk embarrassing the city and the country on an international stage?

“The message that our members have sent with this ballot result is clear. We are taking a stand for what we deserve, and we believe the people will stand with us.”

Councillor Eva Murray for Garscadden/Scotstoun shared her support for the action on social media.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sending solidarity to every one of these heroes 💪🧡<br><br>I’m proud that <a href="https://twitter.com/Labour_GCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Labour_GCC</a> are standing alongside them all the way in this fight.<br><br>It’s time the SNP in Holyrood & Glasgow intervene to get the fair deal these workers deserve! <a href="https://t.co/TwGbADPyMX">https://t.co/TwGbADPyMX</a></p>— Cllr Eva Murray (@EvaCMurray) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvaCMurray/status/1448912430508265496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

More than 100 world leaders and around 25,000 delegates are expected to arrive in the city on November 1.

COSLA said that "constructive" negotiations are ongoing with the union.

A spokesperson said: “We appreciate everything that Local Government workers have been doing, and continue to do, to support people and communities during the pandemic and as we begin to recover.

“We continue with ongoing constructive negotiations.”