Glasgow bin strike: second wave of action could run up to Christmas

After a workforce meeting in George Square on Monday, Glasgow City Council cleansing workers demanded a fresh strike ballot against their employer over low pay. 

The GMB has now warned it could mean a second wave of strikes could hit cleansing services in Scotland’s biggest city in the run-up to Christmas. Eight days of strike action conclude this evening at 23.59pm. 

Calls from the workforce come after talks this weekend between GMB and Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken, which secured commitments from the council to review the value of pay for all workers on the lowest grades - an estimated 10,000 workers currently earning less than £20,000 a year - as part of the process to remove its discriminatory pay and grading system.

The union says the council will also pursue investment for cleansing infrastructure and resources to tackle the city’s waste crisis, alongside a range of new employee development and well-being measures to address management mistreatment of staff. 

However, the council refused workers’ demands for a one-off “Glasgow Payment” for all workers lower grades as a means of addressing the cost-of-living crisis.

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “It’s taken a strike to get Glasgow’s leadership in the room and acknowledge the council’s chronic low pay problems, the waste crisis in our communities, and the toxic management culture in the cleansing department. 

“It is important to understand that strikes don’t happen by accident. They are a consequence of workers’ feeling undervalued, disrespected, and ignored for too long, and it’s clear that a few days of talks and the initial outcomes from this aren’t enough to remedy the impact of a decade of cuts. 

“Our members in cleansing, like so many of their colleagues in other services like home care, school support, parks and gardens, and Glasgow Life, are the backbone of the city’s workforce but they are struggling on wages that simply do not make ends meet. 

“It’s why our members have demanded a fresh ballot, which could mean a second wave of strikes in the run up to Christmas. They want more to be done to properly value key workers and to tackle the significant service and workforce challenges facing their city. 

“That’s something the council, COSLA and ultimately the Scottish Government should reflect on today because it’s very clear this anger isn’t going away until these problems are confronted.”

The news came after the GMB said there had been constructive talks with Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken at the end of last week.

And today Jeremy Corbyn stood shoulder to shoulder with striking cleansing workers in Glasgow today fighting for better pay.

The former Labour leader joined workers who have been on strike for eight days as the GMB union members continue their action into a second week.

In a post on social media MP Nadia Whittome said she was proud to join the picket line this morning with Jeremy Corbyn and Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney.

GMB Glasgow members have been involved in eight days of action

Speaking previously GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “Susan Aitken has the power to end this strike, and there is a big opportunity to make work better for Glasgow’s lowest paid workers."

Talks with the council leader continued over the weekend.

The union described the action as strong strengthened further by global support, but members’ anger has also been inflamed by the council’s use of contracted labour.

Jeremy Corbyn joined a Glasgow picket line today

The GMB was calling for a £2,000 pay rise and had previously turned down an offer of an £850-a-year increase for staff earning up to £25,000.

The proposal from umbrella body, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which was suggested on Friday was for a one-year, 5.89 per cent increase for the lowest paid council staff. This comes as part of a £1,062 rise for all staff earning below £25,000.

Councillor Allan Casey, workforce convener, said: "The Council Leader and I have held a series of constructive meetings and discussions with GMB officials.”
“We put forward an offer on Friday and updated it on Saturday. It is an offer which will improve local workforce relationships, bring unions more into decision making, provide training and support for a range of staff and offer overtime to deal with the backlog created by the strike. We also offered to look at whether lower graded staff require an interim arrangement, if it does not impact our equal pay commitments, until a new pay and grading scheme is in place.”
“We await a response from the GMB about whether this offer has been accepted or not.”
“The strike is due to end this evening and the Council will put in place a plan to recover from its impact.”