Rubbish piles up in Edinburgh during comedy festival…with NINE more days of strike action to go

People in Scotland’s capital are having to endure litter-strewn streets and overflowing bins during its annual comedy festival – with the mess set to get even worse, as warnings about a vermin infestation are issued.

It will be another nine days before strike action taken by waste staff in Edinburgh ends, but the problems are already growing, with the city suspending waste collections, closing its recycling centres and advising residents to store their rubbish at home.

Wrappers and takeaway containers are piling up in the streets as part of the protest over pay at a time when the city is full of tourists because of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe held every August.

Union leaders will meet this week to consider a five per cent pay increase for refuse workers as comedians performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe slated the situation.

Cosla, the council umbrella body, has upped its offer to an overall five per cent pay increase in a last-ditch attempt to avoid strike action across the country.

The offer would also see the Scottish Government local government living wage increase to £10.50.

It remains unclear if the revised pay proposal – an increase on Cosla’s second offer of 3.5 per cent – will be enough to stop ongoing and future industrial action.

Nicola Sturgeon has said she hopes a new pay offer to local government workers will end the ‘disruption’ in Edinburgh – where a strike by council staff has left litter bins overflowing.

The action comes while Edinburgh is the ‘centre of the cultural world’, the First Minister said.

Ms Sturgeon stated: ‘Nobody wants to see the kind of disruption and impact of strikes that many people are witnessing in Edinburgh right now.’

The issue has become so bad that some locals have taken to sealing the openings on already full bins to stop people from trying – and failing – to push more items in.

And the city faces a ‘massive expansion’ in the population of vermin like rats and mice as a consequence of the ongoing strike action.

People in Scotland’s capital are having to endure litter-strewn streets and overflowing bins – with the mess set to get even worse

It will be another nine days before strike action taken by waste staff in Edinburgh ends, but the problems are already growing

Wrappers and takeaway containers are piling up in the streets at a time when the city is full of tourists

It remains unclear if the revised pay proposal – an increase on Cosla’s second offer of 3.5 per cent – will be enough to stop ongoing and future industrial action, which has so far led to litter strewn across the streets of Edinburgh

Terry Levinthal, director of the Cockburn Association, the city’s heritage watchdog, told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme he was worried the situation would become ‘a massive public health problem’.

He said: ‘Even before the strike there were problems.

‘We had our members and stakeholders complaining, particularly in the Old Town, where we’ve seen for hospitality businesses a number of structures erected – these provide fantastic places for the city’s mice and rat population to hide away and eat all of the offerings that have been left for them, if I can put it that way.

‘And we’ll see, as a result of it, that in a few weeks’ time there will be a massive expansion in the population of vermin because there is just so much food on offer.’

Meanwhile, one branch of Tesco in Corstorphine has been forced to shut off sections of its car park containing recycling bins to deter would-be flytippers. A sign reads: ‘Due to industrial action this facility is temporarily closed.

‘Automatic number plate recognition cameras and CCTV cameras are active in this car park.

‘Details of any person flytipping items including household waste will be passed to the police.’

It is believed that people had been leaving rubbish around the bins, which are usually emptied by council workers.

Tesco said: ‘The recycling facilities in our Corstorphine Extra store are temporarily closed. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and will reopen the facilities as soon as waste collections resume in the area.’

The city has suspended waste collections, closed its recycling centres and is advising residents to store their rubbish at home

Edinburgh council leader Cammy Day has warned residents and businesses that disruption is inevitable during the strike

The city faces a ‘massive expansion’ in the population of vermin like rats and mice as a consequence of the ongoing strike action

Terry Levinthal, director of the Cockburn Association, the city’s heritage watchdog, told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme he was worried the situation would become ‘a massive public health problem’

Around 250 members of the Unite and GMB unions who work for the city council walked out on Thursday after rejecting a 3.5 per cent pay offer from local government umbrella body Cosla. The strike is due to last until next Tuesday, the day after the end of Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals.

An improved pay offer, which would give workers an average 5 per cent pay increase, was tabled on Friday in a bid to avert further industrial action.

Alison MacLean, Unite’s industrial officer, has pointed out that while the new offer represented an ‘improvement,’ it came at a time when inflation has hit a 40 year high.

She said Unite’s local government committee will ‘urgently consider’ the new offer, but strikes planned for later this week remain on the cards.

Similar strikes are due to begin in 14 other councils across Scotland on Wednesday and last until August 31.

Ms Maclean said: ‘It has taken Cosla over five months to make an offer which we can take to our members for consideration.

‘While the five per cent offer is an improvement, it is important to emphasise that it comes at a time when broader inflation has now hit a 40-year high at 12.3 per cent according to the Retail Prices Index.

‘Unite’s local government committee will urgently consider this latest offer.

‘At this juncture the strikes for next week continue as planned.’

Nicola Sturgeon has said she hopes a new pay offer to local government workers will end the ‘disruption’ in Edinburgh – where a strike by council staff has left litter bins overflowing

The protest over pay at a time when the city is full of tourists because of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe held every August

The action comes while Edinburgh is the ‘centre of the cultural world’, the First Minister said, referencing the ongoing Edinburgh Festival Fringe, held every August in the city

Bins have been left overflowing after around 250 members of the Unite and GMB unions who work for the city council walked out on Thursday having rejected a 3.5 per cent pay offer from local government umbrella body Cosla

Keir Greenaway, Scotland senior organiser at the GMB union, said that Cosla’s latest proposals will be considered by its local government committee, and any deal must see the lowest paid workers receive the biggest cash increases. 

Edinburgh council leader Cammy Day has warned residents and businesses that disruption is inevitable during the strike. He has written to Deputy First Minister John Swinney and called for a meeting of Cosla to discuss a new pay offer.

Mr Day added: ‘None of us want strike action but when we have got a Government failing to meet the demands of the workforce and Cosla leaders stretched for cash across every local authority in Scotland, we need them all to get around the table and find a solution.’ 

Speaking during a visit to Aberdeen, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘We live in a really challenging time with inflation in double figures right now, which is why the Scottish Government is determined to deliver – as far as we can and to facilitate as far as we can – fair pay deals.

‘We’ve provided – and the councils are the employers of the workers that you’re referring to right now – we’ve provided more resources to local authorities to try to facilitate a fairer pay deal and I’m glad to see that Cosla has now put on the table a 5 per cent pay offer and I hope that now paves the way to these issues being resolved.’

Similar strikes by waste workers are due to begin in 14 other councils across Scotland on Wednesday and last until August 31, which would cause more rubbish chaos

The strike is due to last until next Tuesday, the day after the end of Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals

A group of performers have announced they will hold a comedy show to support the striking workers, while other comedians have commented on Edinburgh ‘looking shocking’ with ‘rubbish everywhere’

Garry Clark, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said Edinburgh needed to look good as the Festival returned fully for the first time after Covid – in contrast to how it is looking currently

A group of performers have announced they will hold a comedy show to support the striking workers. The event, which is set to take place at the New Town Theatre on Wednesday, features a number of stand-ups from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Among those scheduled to appear are Jo Caulfield, Jason Byrne, Mark Nelson, Mark Thomas and Susie McCabe.

Mr Thomas said: ‘These are the workers who got us through Covid and now they are being told to take a real cut in their wages. It’s unacceptable and they deserve our support in fighting back.’

Meanwhile, comedian Eleanor Morton said Edinburgh was ‘looking shocking’ with ‘rubbish everywhere’.

Dougie Morgan wrote a Tweet aimed at the City of Edinburgh Council saying: ‘How can you welcome visitors from all over the world with the pavements of Edinburgh strewn with rubbish. Get it sorted.!

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured on Wednesday) has said: ‘I’m glad to see that Cosla has now put on the table a 5 per cent pay offer and I hope that now paves the way to these issues being resolved.’

Comedian Martin Mor, currently performing at the Fringe, wrote on Twitter: ‘Why do people think it’s ok to litter rather than accept this bin is full and just take their rubbish with them and dispose of it in a way that doesn’t cause problems for other people.’

Garry Clark, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said Edinburgh needed to look good as the Festival returned fully for the first time after Covid.

Mr Clark said: ‘It’s our shop window to the world. Edinburgh has reopened.

‘We want to encourage people to spend time out and about, not being put off by all the rubbish.’

On Thursday, picket lines were organised at waste and recycling centres across the capital and a rally was held outside the city chambers after the action formally began at 5am.

The strike in Edinburgh will be followed by a second wave of industrial action by waste workers across Scotland, coordinated by Unite, Unison and GMB unions to obtain an improved council pay deal.

Council chiefs expect all bin collections and street cleaning will be affected.