COUNCIL leaders have made an improved formal offer to trade unions in a bid to avert bin strikes in Scotland.
Leaders met on Friday and welcomed that the Scottish Government had provided additional funding to take a pay offer beyond the 3.2% previously offered by Cosla.
It said that under the revised offer, everyone will receive at least 3.6% and for the first pay point on local government pay scales, there will be an increase of £1292 (or 5.63%).
The overall offer value is 4.27%, it said.
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Cosla’s resources spokesperson, councillor Katie Hagmann, said: “Having worked hard over the last week with Scottish Government to increase and guarantee additional funding, leaders are now in a position to make this improved offer to our trade unions
“This offer reflects what trade unions have asked for and we hope that they will now be prepared to call off the strikes while they put that offer to their members.”
Cosla are calling for strike action, due to begin on Wednesday August 14, to be suspended while the revised offer is considered by the unions.
A previous offer of 3.2% was rejected by GMB Scotland, Unison and Unite, with the waste disruption expected to hit cities including Glasgow and Edinburgh during its festival period.
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Should the revised offer be rejected, refuse workers from 26 of Scotland's 32 local authorities will walk out for eight days from 5am on Wednesday August 14 to 4.59am on Thursday August 22.
Earlier, Chris Mitchell, co-convener of GMB Scotland, said he was "hopeful" an improved offer could avert strikes from taking place.
However, he warned workers would not settle, telling BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that the offer must be "credible" and be in the region of 5%.
"We're hopeful of a credible offer like we seen last year from our counterparts down south," he said.
"If that is produced today on the table, I think we could certainly take that back to our members."
Unison Scotland's local government lead David O'Connor said it was "frustrating to be here, at the final hour again" but added: "We welcome more money, and Unison Scotland's local government committee will consider any revised offer as soon as we can.
"But we must make sure any pay deal works for everyone in local government."
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