REFUSE workers in Glasgow warned the city council today that industrial action will not be over after Cop26 as union members threatened more bin strikes until Christmas. 

GMB members have said that anger is not going away after week-long strikes in the city throughout the UN climate summit.

The strikes had the support of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other leading figures from the worldwide labour movement.

Following a workforce meeting, Glasgow City Council cleansing workers demanded a fresh strike ballot against their employer over low pay. 

If the ballot is successful, this could mean a second wave of strikes could hit cleansing services in Scotland’s biggest city in the run-up to Christmas.

Talks between the union and council leaders have taken place this week, with commitments to review the value of pay for the lowest paid staff, as well as pursuing investment for cleansing infrastructure.

But concerns remain over the cost-of-living crisis facing staff — with demands for a one-off “Glasgow payment.”

GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said: “It’s taken a strike to get Glasgow’s leadership in the room and acknowledge the council’s chronic low pay problems, the waste crisis in our communities, and the toxic management culture in the cleansing department.

“Our members in cleansing, like so many of their colleagues in other services like home care, school support, parks and gardens, and Glasgow Life, are the backbone of the city’s workforce but they are struggling on wages that simply do not make ends meet.

“They want more to be done to properly value key workers and to tackle the significant service and workforce challenges facing their city.”

A council spokesman said the disputes were a national issue but leadership remain open to talks.