Scotland’s streets could be overflowing with rubbish within days after unions began triggering strike action over pay.
Council cleansing and recycling staff are due to start an eight-day walk out on August 14.
The move piles pressure on SNP ministers to intervene and avert nationwide misery.
SNP Finance Secretary Shona Robison is due to meet union leaders and the council body Cosla on Tuesday in a bid to break the deadlock between staff and employers.
Unison Scotland yesterday served formal notice on a dozen councils that they intend to take strike action between August 14 and August 22.
Bin strikes could soon see rubbish piled high in the streets of Scotland’s towns and cities
Unite and GMB, who have rerun ballots in some councils to expand the range of the strike, are expected to serve the same notice by tomorrow as part of a coordinated action.
The timing is designed to target the Edinburgh Fringe and the tourist season.
Industrial action could affect up to 95 per cent of Scots, with garbage piling up in streets and gardens, attracting vermin and creating a risk to public health.
There are also fears a strike could damage the economy and Scotland’s reputation.
Edinburgh was branded an ‘international embarrassment’ during a 12-day bin strike two years ago, when visitors were repulsed by a cloying stench across the Capital.
The Scottish Chambers of Commerce have warned a repeat could cause ‘appalling mess’ and ‘significant damage to hospitality, retail, and tourism firms’.
The unions, who have refused to suspend the strike threat pending the outcome of today’s meeting, have said only a better pay offer can prevent walk-outs next month.
But the SNP Government is reluctant to get involved and has refused to open its coffers.
First Minister John Swinney last week said his budget was ‘fully allocated’ and he could not conjure up more cash while Westminster cuts put ‘huge pressure on the public finances’.
Council leaders agreed last week to seek extra funding from the Government after workers rejected a 3.2 per cent pay offer for 2024/25.
Unions want an average rise of 4 per cent for all non-teaching council staff, with the deal weighted towards low-paid staff, who could see a 5.5 per cent hike.
Cosla estimates it would cost around £120million extra to meet the demand, which reflects rises for public sector workers south of the border.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves yesterday agreed with independent pay bodies in England that teachers and NHS staff should get 5.5 per cent this year.
When Westminster increases spending in devolved areas such as health and educaton, it generates more for Holyrood under the Barnett funding formula.
The Scottish Government says it currently has no extra money to avert strikes, which would see rubbish left uncollected for weeks
That could let the Scottish Government give councils more money to avert a bin strike.
However, the Chancellor has said at least a third of the pay rise must come from savings, reducing the amount for Holyrood.
Scottish ministers are also anxious about having enough to meet pay demands from other parts of the public sector.
Unison is currently balloting school and early years workers, as well as NHS staff.
There is little expectation that today’s meeting with Ms Robison will resolve the cleansing dispute, but ministers still have until August 14 to find the money to halt it.
The GMB and Unison Scotland declined to comment.
A Cosla spokesperson said: ‘We are working with trade unions and the Scottish Government to take forward a meeting as soon as possible.
‘Our offer of 3.2 per cent remains the absolute limit of affordability that local government can bring to the table in the current challenging financial circumstances.
‘We remain hopeful that a joint meeting will assist in bring a conclusion to our 2024/2045 pay deal for local government employees.’
