The 2022 Scotland bin strike was a

labour strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Labor (economics), work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievance (labour), employee grievance ...

by bin workers across

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The workers, represented by the GMB were striking for a pay rise to match that being given to local government workers in the rest of the UK. The strikes began in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

but spread to other parts of Scotland, affecting 20 of Scotland's 32 council areas.

Events

On 18 August, and following a pay dispute with

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the national association of Scottish councils and acts as an employers' association for its 32 member authorities. History Formed in 1975, COSLA exists to promote and protect the intere ...

(COSLA), refuse workers belonging to the Unison, Unite and GMB trade unions launched industrial action in Edinburgh. The 12-day strike began as the city played host to the 2022

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

. The walkout ended at 04:59 on 30 August. The trade unions stated the main reason for strike was due to the

UK cost of living crisis The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Residents in

were told by

Edinburgh City Council The City of Edinburgh Council is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas, the second most populo ...

to keep all rubbish indoors. On 29 August, GMB rejected the offer proposed by the

. According to the Scottish Government, the deal included a payment of at least £1,925 for council staff, with those earning £20,000 receiving £2,000. On 1 September,

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland ( sco, heid meinister o Scotland; gd, prìomh mhinistear na h-Alba ) is the head of the Scottish Government and keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. The first minister chairs ...

Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. She has been a member of ...

met with council leaders and trade union leaders to resolve the dispute. On 2 September, the strikes were called off by the three unions involved after a 10% pay deal was agreed upon. Sturgeon had previously been criticised for attending Edinburgh Festival events while the strike was ongoing.

Health warning

A health warning was declared by

Public Health Scotland Public Health Scotland (PHS) is the national public health body for Scotland. It is a Special NHS Health Board, and it is jointly accountable to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Scottish Government. Fully exercising ...

due to the build-up of rubbish in urban areas. They also called on

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

to deep clean public areas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scotland bin strikes, 2022 2022 labor disputes and strikes 2022 in Scotland 2020s in Edinburgh August 2022 events in the United Kingdom September 2022 events in the United Kingdom Labour disputes in Scotland Labour disputes in the United Kingdom Nicola Sturgeon

Events

Health warning

See also

References