Binmen docked pay as wage dispute rumbles on

A third of Edinburgh’s bin men have had their wages docked this month amid deteriorating relations between workers’ union Unite and the city council.

Rubbish across the capital was left uncollected when 160 employees refused to work on 7 January, citing health and safety risks posed by the freezing weather conditions.

The move angered those council employees who did work in the snow, while bosses have treated the walk-out as an unofficial strike and cut a day’s pay from each of the workers involved.

However, Mark Turley, director of services for communities, told The Journal that he was disappointed with Unite’s actions. He insists it is ‘not the case’ that the council has been reluctant to meet with union leaders, and that he is optimistic a settlement can be reached.

"There has been a great deal of communication between ourselves and the Union, aimed at a resolution. We have also been running focus groups with our staff directly and have made good progress.

"I remain committed to finding a solution that will help to overcome the issues that both sides face so our workforce can get back to normal working."

The bin men’s refusal to work came just a day after staff received letters about the beginning of a 90-day consultation period on changes to the council’s pay structure.

Renewed anger about the plans is thought to have encouraged many employees to stay at home.

Tensions between Edinburgh City Council and Unite have been running high for months, with refuse collectors working-to-rule since the council’s new pay structure proposals were first unveiled last June.

Though bosses claim the modernisation process is geared towards improving fairness and simplifying the system, their proposals have proved controversial. The union has consistently argued that the majority of workers face a significant pay cut, and a threat of industrial action has persisted throughout the negotiations.

Although there were hopes late last year that a resolution was near, union-council relations have hit a new low. Plans for both sides to meet and finalise proposals have stalled, prompting a new war of words over the lack of progress.

Last week Unite’s Edinburgh convenor Stephen MacGregor publicly admonished the director of services for communities and council administration for their unwillingness to engage with the union.