Deputy First Minister John Swinney has said he “welcomed the commitment” to reach a fair settlement in the ongoing dispute over council pay as talks continued on Thursday evening.
Following discussions between Cosla, trade unions and the Scottish Government, Mr Swinney said he wanted to ensure an “early resolution” to the dispute which has seen cleansing workers at 14 councils walk out over a previous 5% pay offer which was rejected by unions.
“Whilst the Scottish Government has no formal role in the negotiations, we continue to work collaboratively with Cosla and the trades unions, and met them today for continued discussions,” he said.
Mr Swinney added: “I welcome the commitment from all parties to continue talks to find a fair and sustainable settlement that will bring an end to the ongoing industrial action.
Members of the public are experiencing interruptions to their public services. Our capital city is strewn with waste, right throughout the city. It's unacceptable
John Swinney
“I want to ensure an early resolution and that will only come about if there’s intense dialogue. The Scottish Government has facilitated that today.
“We are doing all we can within the resources available to us in the face of the cost-of-living emergency and have provided an extra £140 million on a recurring basis to support a higher pay award.
“All areas of the public sector are having to make challenging savings to stay within budget. The UK Government has cut the Scottish Government’s budget and not adjusted it for inflation, exacerbating the financial situation for both government and councils.”
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Swinney told STV’s News at Six the rubbish “strewn across” Edinburgh was “unacceptable”.
“I think there’s a substantive conversation now going on between local authorities and trade unions. That’s absolutely necessary because these issues need to be resolved,” he said.
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“Members of the public are experiencing interruptions to their public services. Our capital city is strewn with waste, right throughout the city. It’s unacceptable.
“We’ve got to resolve these issues. We’ve got to resolve the pay claims and we’ve got to do that with intense dialogue. That’s what we’ve kicked started today.”
Cosla president councillor Shona Morrison said she “absolutely recognised” the pressure local government and the Scottish Government are under.
She told STV: “We’re here to see solutions and a way forward. We have had a week of intensive meetings.
“My colleagues have been in meetings all week. We’ve had long days of discussions in our negotiations, bases. We’re here today.
“We’re really happy to sit and have the opportunity with the Scottish Government with our trade unions to open discussions.”
On Thursday, Glasgow City Council announced all of their nurseries and primary schools will close for three days next month as school support staff take strike action.
Teachers could also strike after the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said they will ballot teachers on taking industrial action after rejecting 2.2% and 3.5% pay offers.