Bin strikes: Pay offer rejected and more council areas to join action

Unions reject pay offer and bin strikes spread in Scotland

Planned strike action by council waste and street cleaning workers across most of Scotland has been extended after two more unions rejected a pay offer.

The move means that workers in 26 out of Scotland's 32 council areas will now be involved in the industrial action, which is due to begin on 20 March.

The GMB and Unite unions both rejected the latest pay offer from the local government body Cosla, which had been made in a bid to halt the strikes.

The unions said that the offer was "not good enough" and that their members were "determined to continue their fight for fair pay".

Cosla said that it was "disappointed" by the unions' decision and that it had tabled a "strong, fair and credible offer" to staff.

The strike action is expected to cause significant disruption to waste and street cleaning services across Scotland.

In Edinburgh, where waste has been piling up since workers began their strike on 13 March, the city council has warned that the city could face a "public health emergency" if the strike continues.