Missed waste collections across Edinburgh have been blamed on a group of rogue waste collectors who have taken industrial action, while council chiefs have warned staff against refusing to collect waste or working overtime.
An increasing number of overfull bins have been reported in recent weeks due to delays in waste services in the capital.
Yesterday the local authority suspended all blue box glass collections for a week to prioritize the build-up of household waste and other recycling materials.
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A union claimed the disruptions were due to workers having to start their morning run an hour later following recent complaints about noise from glass collection from controversial new ‘waste containers’ installed outside flats.
And Unite’s City of Edinburgh Council Branch disputed claims that waste collectors were involved in wild ‘work to rule’ actions.
But it warned that growing discontent among its members could trigger a ‘bin strike mark two’ – a repeat of the rubbish piling up on the streets of the capital during the summer festivals, such as in 2022 – even more likely as the union expands prepares for the vote among thousands of members. across Scotland amid a pay dispute.
It is understood that the recent missed collections are the result of action by “a relatively small group of employees”.
A source said the unions have “made it clear that this is not approved by them” and added that managers are “addressing these performance and conduct issues to ensure services return to normal as quickly as possible”.
In a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council’s head of neighborhood environmental services, Andy Williams, said there had been “recent suggestions and/or comments from a small number of staff that routes will not be completed and that no secondary waste will be disposed of. collected, and a refusal to work overtime when offered.
“These actions could be considered a strike action and possibly a breach of contract. This could have very serious consequences.”
Mr Williams, who sent the letter to workers at the city’s Seafield Depot last week, said he had also been “led to believe that some staff were willing to work overtime but were bullied and intimidated into not doing so “.
He said that ‘task and finish’ – where waste collectors clock out after completing their assigned routes – “was ordered to finish many years ago and consistent messages have been issued that all staff are expected to work their full contracted hours to work”.
He added: “Staff are asked to only collect one bin at a time and only cross a road where it is safe to do so.”
The decision to scrap task and wrap-up arrangements, meaning staff now have to return to depots to be discharged, when previously they could be dropped off closer to home after collections were completed, has contributed to anger among staff over a lack of flexibility among waste bosses. it is understood.
Graeme Smith, chairman of Unite’s City of Edinburgh Council Branch, said: “One of the reasons why many routes have been delayed is that routes start an hour later, this is a result of the number of noise complaints the council has received. reception and many problems surrounding glass collection in the early morning.”
He said this is the “excuse given by managers for withholding the keys and starting the routes later”.
Unite, Scotland’s largest trade union, today announced that it will vote on thousands of its members across the country next month on a pay dispute with local government umbrella organization Cosla. If workers vote in favor, industrial action “could begin from July, with major events potentially affected in the summer, including the Edinburgh International Festivals and fringe festivals”, the union said.
Mr Smith said: “We are looking at bin strike mark two.
‘The dissatisfaction within the [Edinburgh] The workforce will only create more passion when it comes to industrial action over pay.
“Everything that’s going on has been localized, but we’ve had more opportunities to talk to people and people are now unhappy with the way they’ve been treated. This works for us because it means that when they get the ballot in, they’re going to check the box and send it out.”