GMB and members of the Association of British Independent Exploration companies (BRINDEX) today (Monday 12 August) warned the UK government not to ignore the voices of the UK’s oil and gas workers – and urged Ministers to engage the sector in meaningful discussions.
GMB and BRINDEX agreed a Memorandum of Understanding last November, committing to “represent workers’ voice and employer concerns to better engage policy makers” and to “make the case for pro-jobs policies and strengthening energy security.”
Meetings between union and industry representatives in July discussed how to further develop the better cooperation outlined in the MOU.
Today’s warning follows government proposals for the sector’s fiscal regime in the Autumn Budget and uncertainty about future licencing, provoking widespread concern across North Sea operations about a cliff-edge threat for investment, jobs and skills, and vital carbon capture development.
GMB visited the Armada Kraken offshore production facility in May, representing a step forward for better cooperation between the sector’s oil and gas independents and the UK’s energy union.
Further visits are planned this summer to infrastructure owned by some of the UK’s leading North Sea producers, including Serica Energy, EnQuest, and others.
Gary Smith, GMB General Secretary, said:“GMB is a proud and unambiguous energy union, and we want the voices of our offshore workers to be heard loud and clear in the corridors of power over the decisions affecting their livelihoods.
“The government is rightly focused on a growth agenda after years of instability and industrial decline, and the transition presents a huge opportunity to unleash investment for jobs, infrastructure, and security.
“But that means creating the right conditions to turn that ambition into reality, and better cooperation between unions, industry, and government is fundamental to this because ‘business as usual’ won’t work.”
Robin Allan, Chairman of BRINDEX, said:“Hard working families sustained by the oil and gas sector across the UK’s nations and regions deserve to be treated with respect from government – and so do our independent operators who support these livelihoods.
“Our ongoing engagement with GMB through these latest offshore visits recognises that if the transition is going to be a success, then change must be done with the people doing so much to keep the lights on, homes warm, and industry running – not to them.
“That’s why we are urging the government to work with us and engage in meaningful discussions with the very people on whom they depend to help accelerate the UK’s industrial transition, growth, and energy security agendas.”
Council leaders reconvened from recess yesterday (24th July) for a special meeting to discuss the ongoing pay negotiations with Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Unions.
COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, commented following the meeting: “We are disappointed that the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions have chosen to reject the revised pay offer made on 18th July.
“We have been consistently clear that this offer of 3.2% over 12 months is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the extremely challenging financial situation Local Government is facing. We believe this offer, which is above inflation, is fair, strong and credible. There is no more money available within existing council budgets to fund an increased offer without unacceptable and damaging cuts to jobs and services.
“COSLA remains committed to continuing our negotiations towards finding a solution as quickly as possible, seeking to do all we can to avoid industrial action and its damaging impact on our communities.
“In response to calls from Trade Unions, COSLA Leaders agreed today (24th July) to raise the matter of local government finance and local government pay with the Scottish Government. As no decisions can be taken until these discussions have taken place, we request that the trade unions pause their industrial action.
“COSLA are in the process of contacting the Trade Unions and Scottish Government on this. Council Leaders value the Local Government workforce and their essential work across our communities and remain committed to reaching an agreeable solution as quickly as possible.”
Union says workers are being ‘grossly undervalued’ compared with UK council counterparts
Unite has confirmed that its committee for local government workers has rejected the latest COSLA pay offer following a meeting in Glasgow yesterday (22 July 2024).
Unite said no ‘extra cash’ has been added to the new pay offer by COSLA, which amounts to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. COSLA has taken two months to shift from its previous offer, which was also rejected outright by Unite on 24 May.
Unite is highlighting that the new pay offer ‘grossly undervalues’Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC). This equates to a rise of 67p per hour or 5.2% for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week. In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2% equates to £800 or a 41p per hour increase.
The pay offer difference means that a Scottish council worker would need to earn above £40,000 to match the offer being made to council workers across the UK. This means the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “COSLA has taken months to put a new offer to our local government membership, and it’s one that does absolutely nothing to address more than a decade of deep cuts to pay and services.
“Unless COSLA and the Scottish government move quickly to make an acceptable offer then mountains of rubbish will pile up across the nation’s streets. The politicians have a choice, and one more chance, to resolve this pay dispute before strike action.”
Unite has the largest union membership on the verge of participating in a first wave of strike action involving waste workers, street cleaners, and recycling centre operators.
The union has strike action mandates involving thousands of its members across 16 councils, and it is in the process of re-balloting workers in 5 other councils (see notes to editor).
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “COSLA’s latest pay offer doesn’t add any extra cash. It continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK.
“A stinking Scottish summer looms unless COSLA and the Scottish government quickly sort this out by injecting more cash into a new offer. Any offer will need to value the lowest paid council workers, at least, on similar terms as the offer made to other UK council workers.”
“The Scottish government can no longer sit idly by, we are on the brink of nationwide strike action which could last for months.”
Rubbish will pile up in Scottish streets, backcourts and gardens should an improved pay offer not be proposed by council body, COSLA, after GMB Scotland secures mandates for strike in waste services across Scotland.
GMB Scotland’s members in waste services in 13 councils have achieved a mandate for strike action in their dispute over pay, including in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, and Stirling.
The union says that a repeat of strike action during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is likely again this year. In 2022, city centre bins overflowed with litter strewn across streets when tourists flocked to the Scottish capital.
The offer proposed by COSLA falls short of that offered by the Conservative UK Government to local authority workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The majority of workers in Scotland would have received less in cash over 12 months and a smaller rise over 18 months than their counterparts in the rest of the UK.
The union says this year’s pay talks have been a repeat of previous years where they have been needlessly protracted due to a lack of action from COSLA to provide a pay offer including blocking Scottish Government intervention in talks.
Trade unions submitted their pay claims in January with an offer only provided in May which was promptly rejected. Since then, no meaningful talks have taken place between Council Leaders and trade unions.
GMB Scotland is calling on COSLA to get round the table with unions to outline their best offer which goes beyond the rest of the UK and if unable, for Council Leaders to call for the Scottish Government’s intervention.
The union has warned that if an improved offer is not forthcoming, dates for strike action will be served.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services, Keir Greenaway said:“Year after year, these talks have been needlessly drawn out. That leaves our members – typically the lowest paid working on the frontline of our services – without the pay rise they need. Inflation may be stabilising, but can anyone say they feel the difference?
“Council Leaders refuse to have meaningful talks – all while blocking the Scottish Government’s intervention to deliver a pay offer that matches our members’ value. They are counting down the clock while our members go without.
“We hear time and time again that Scotland does public services better, but that’s not the case when the Conservatives down south have already beaten COSLA’s offer. If COSLA can’t do better, it’s time for them to bring the Scottish Government to the table to fund an improved offer.
“If not, then it’s likely that the same disruption during 2022’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival will happen again this year. Hundreds of millions are poured into the city during the Fringe, but political leaders claim they can’t find enough money to value frontline service workers.
“Council Leaders have wasted months and they’ve wasted opportunities. Our members have no time for waste which is why rubbish will pile up in councils across Scotland if a suitable offer isn’t received. We have no interest in political games when so many are struggling.”
Unite, Unison and GMB all balloted members in Waste and Cleansing across Scotland—this ballot closed yesterday on 1 July.
In Edinburgh, UNITE have also balloted workers in Fleet Services — this ballot closes tomorrow – 3 July.
A Cosla spokeswoman told the BBC: “Cosla has made a strong offer at the limits of affordability for councils. In the context of lowering inflation and a “flat cash” budget settlement from Scottish government, it remains important to reward our valued workforce appropriately.
“We urge our unions to reconsider their decision to reject the offer.
“We are disappointed that industrial action is being contemplated by our unions and concerned that it appears to be targeted at waste services, once again raising potential public health risks.”
She said the Scottish government respected the union’s role in seeking the best pay settlement and it remained committed to doing the best by its workforce.
On the eve of the European Championships, GMB can reveal almost 1,000 public football pitches have been lost in the UK since 2010.
As England and Scotland get ready to kick off their campaigns in Germany, new figures show there are 846 fewer local authority owned or operated football pitches today [based on the latest figures available] than there were in 2009/10.
Councils said that a further 80 pitches had also been closed – meaning at least 926 pitches have gone.
The worst hit part of the UK was Scotland, which lost a massive 271 pitches during that period.
All the other worst hit areas were all in Northern England and Wales.
The figures come from a Freedom of Information request made by GMB to local authorities in the UK and we’re revealed at GMB’s annual conference, which concludes in Bournemouth today [Thursday].
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said:“The England and Scotland men’s teams are about to begin their European Championship campaigns, with the hopes of the two nations resting on their shoulders.
“Yet before a ball has even been kicked, the next generation of footballers have already lost.
“Losing almost 1,000 council football pitches could crush grass roots football in the UK and is yet another deeply depressing legacy of the Conservative’s austerity mission.”
Following the shambles of this year’s City of Edinburgh Council budget in which full council voted for a budget including privatisation and compulsory redundancies, Edinburgh’s trade unions have joined together to demand better for the workforce and the community.
GMB, Unison, and Unite represent the majority of workers employed across the council including front line services such as waste, care, parks and roads, and non-teaching staff in schools.
The joint trade unions welcome the council leader’s assurances he has no intention of implementing the budget in full, but this is not enough and are further calling on City of Edinburgh Council to give their workforce security by re-setting a budget which takes compulsory redundancies and privatisation off the cards completely.
The joint trade unions are asking the public to stand by the council workforce, by signing the public petition and writing to their local councillors: https://edcouncilpledge.carrd.co/
GMB Organiser Kirsten Muat Said: “Scotland’s council’s have been underfunded for decades, but it is unacceptable of the council to ask front line workers to bear the brunt of the lack of political leadership on this issue.
“The workforce need to be given job security, the only way this can happen is by political leaders putting their words into action and putting a complete to stop to any privatisation or compulsory redundancies.
“Privatization and redundancies will never be in the public interest, it would be wrong and short sighted for City of Edinburgh Council to pursue this.”
UNISON Branch Secretary Tom Connolly said: “We want all Edinburgh Councillors to not only adopt the trade union pledge, but we also want them to publicly endorse their commitment and outline how they will ensure our pledges are delivered.
“The public have a massive role to play here too. You can help save our services by using our campaign tools to write to your elected officials and put pressure on them to deliver.
“The Edinburgh Council unions have continually warned over many years about the devastating impact of cuts to council budgets and the threat to democratic accountability.
But under the Tory Government at Westminster and the SNP/Green Government in Scotland, local government is under pressure as never before. For years now, council workers have continuously been asked to do more with less and deliver more for less. With the current council budget, that trend will continue, and things will continue to get worse.”
Unite branch secretary Brian Robertson said: “The council needs to provide security to its workers as insecurity for the workers not only causes stress to them and their families but also puts stress on the services they deliver.
“Best Value reviews must examine in-house service delivery as a serious option. Improving Services, Creating Jobs is the Best Value our council can give to our workers, citizens, families and communities. Doing otherwise is a dis-service to our city.”
UNISON, and sister trade unions Unite and GMB, are threatening pull out local government school staff and refuse workers on strike again.
Strike action was suspended after UNISON members voted for an offer which was made to them by COSLA on 2nd September 2022.
Trade union strikes remain suspended but mandates remain live meaning UNISON can legally call their local government members back out on strike, again.
COSLA now claim that the elements of the original deal – an extra days leave and the payment of SSSC registration fees for those working in social work, social care and early years – were only for one year not in perpetuity.
UNISON have now written to COSLA to say: “It is frankly outrageous that the draft pay circular sent to us on 7th October sought to time limit elements of the offer that had no time limitation on them in the original offer letter or in the discussions we had prior to it.
“That this remains unresolved should be a source of deep embarrassment. As has previously been advised our strike mandates remain live and we are all under increasing pressure from members, who are rapidly losing faith in their employer, to lift the strike suspensions if a resolution is not achieved quickly.”
Council staff are still waiting for their increased pay uplifts to be included in their pay packets.
Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland head of local government said:“This is appalling behaviour – either the employer did not even understand the offer they themselves were making – or they did and are now trying to renegue on it before its even been implemented. Either way it will be our members that suffer if they are allowed to get away with it.
“We have made clear to the employer and the Scottish Government that our strike mandates remain live and all three trade unions are under increasing pressure from members, who are rapidly losing faith in their employer, to lift the strike suspensions if a resolution and call members out if a resolution is not achieved quickly.
“Our members will rightly be questioning the value of COSLA if they cannot be trusted to draft an offer that they understand or uphold one that they do understand.
“It should be a source of deep embarrassment to COSLA that more than six months since the pay implementation date and in the middle of the worst cost of living crises our country has seen, waiting on their pay rise”
TALKS to resolve the local government workers strike ended without an agreement being reached yesterday.
Unions had sought clarity over a 5% offer tabled at a meeting with local government organisation Cosla but the employers were unable to give sufficient reassurances to enable unions to call off planned strikes across the country.
This means the ongoing strike in Edinburgh will continue, with other council areas also being hit by industrial action for the first time today.
Edinburgh North and Leith SNP MP Deirdre Brock said the capital’s Labour-run council had failed to put forward a decent pay offer.
Edinburgh council’sLabour leader Cammy Day was criticised last week for offering just 3.5% to council workers while other council leaders were pushing for a 5%pay rise for their workers.
Ms Brock said: “The SNP in government put an extra £140m on the table, on top of the £100m extra given to councils earlier in the year, yet Labour refused to offer that money to refuse workers for over a week, leaving our capital streets an eyesore.
“Residents and tourists alike need to see a plan from Labour to clean up the capital starting today. All we’ve seen so far is ineptitude.”
Her Edinburgh SNP colleague Angus Robertson MSP weighed in:
The Labour administration in Edinburgh is propped up by the Scottish Conservatives and the Lib Dems, but the Tory Local Government spokesperson Miles Briggs MSP had a go at both the Labour-led council and the SNP Holyrood government:
Lamenting the city council’s ‘astounding’ lack of contingency planning – trade unions have made their plans very clear in the run-up to the strike – Lothians list MSP Miles Briggs said: “More could have been done to prepare the city, such as working with private companies or providing additional bins.
“The SNP government must get around the table and fix this before it’s too late. They cannot stand by and watch while a situation that they created by giving councils a poor funding settlement spirals out of control.”
Scotish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole Hamilton lays the blame squarely on the Scottish Government:
“Think of the white elephants the SNP has splurged cash on: independence, the ferries debacle, the embassies so they can play ‘dress-up diplomat’. All of this could have gone to councils to allow them to settle these very reasonable pay expectations.”
Talking of white elephants, our cash-strapped city council chose yesterday to announce £1 BILLION plans for a new North-South tram line … but that’s another story!
Responding to the Edinburgh refuse workers’ industrial action, Labour Lothian list MSP Foysul Choudhury said:“SNP representatives should get off their high horse about the ongoing industrial action when they should have been canvassing their own party in the Scottish Government to agree extra cash with COSLA for councils to pay workers a fair wage, rather than expecting Edinburgh City Council to cut services elsewhere.
“It is up to the Scottish Government and COSLA to agree further funding, and then up to COSLA and the unions to agree the terms of any new pay deal, not Edinburgh City Council. As a former City Councillor, Deidre Brock knows this and yet has pretended otherwise in the media.
“Nobody wants to see the streets of Edinburgh in their current state, but the ongoing industrial action shows what a crucial job refuse and recycling workers do and demonstrates why we should be paying them fairly for their work.
“At the same time it is ridiculous for SNP representatives to lay the strike at the hands of a Labour-led council when it is their party which has repeatedly slashed local government budgets in real terms, forcing councils to cut their services to the bone.
“If the SNP really wanted to avoid these strikes rather than play politics, they should have come to an agreement with COSLA sooner, or better still, avoided imposing successive years of painful austerity for local authorities across Scotland.”
UNITE City of Edinburgh Branch pointed out: “Misinformation on #edinburghbinstrikes today is rife. Strike is a national dispute—one council can’t stop it. 14 more councils tomorrow.
“Local government funding has been slashed for a decade. Idea that 5% definitely would have stopped this is a fantasy. An insulting one at that.”
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer is backing the striking unions. In a tweet yesterday, Ms Foyer said: “Solidarity to all of you. Keep fighting!
“All Scotland’s local government workers deserve a decent pay rise for the vital work you do. Let’s show our support on the picket lines across Scotland tomorrow.”
PLANNED INDUSTRIAL ACTION:
Unison
School and early years workers will strike on 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th September, joining UNISON waste and recycling staff who will have already started their strike action on 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th August and 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th September.
Unite
Strikes will be held between the 18th August – 30th in Edinburgh with a second wave expected in a further 14 local authorities this week.
Aberdeen City, Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian.
In the first wave of action cleansing workers will strike in Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and South Lanarkshire councils for the first wave of strike action to take place on 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th August and 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th September.
Cleansing workers will strike in Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and South Lanarkshire councils for the first wave of strike action to take place on 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th August and 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th September.
City of Edinburgh Council: Disruption to Waste Services
We appreciate the impact and inconvenience this will cause you and appreciate your understanding. Please help us to keep the city as clean and safe as possible during the strike by following this guidance:
Regularly check our website and Twitter account for updates on services suspended and when collections will restart in your area. Be aware normal collections may take a while to get back to schedule after the strike ends.
Don’t put any bins, boxes or bags out for collection until the situation changes.
Stock up on strong black bags, and be prepared to fill, seal and store these with extra waste.
When separating your recycling, please try to flatten all cardboard and crush drinks cans and bottles. You can bag these up, separated, to empty into the recycling bin when you can.
Store waste sensibly and safely. If possible, use and share empty garage space with your neighbours or store bags in your garden or driveway.
Don’t store waste in stairwells or landings, where it could become a fire hazard.
Be careful not to block bin chutes or overfill them.
Keep all food waste separate and in an enclosed container, to help prevent smells attracting wildlife.
Talk to your neighbours and share responsibility for keeping spillages to a minimum. Help neighbours who may need support managing their waste. Explain the situation to those who may not have heard.
Please do not leave bags or any bulky items next to full bins. These will not get cleared away and could become a hazard.
Join with neighbours to do local litter picking clean ups, especially around on-street bins and litter bins on your street.
If a bin is full to overflowing, don’t use it, particularly for dog fouling. Please either use a bin that’s not full or take it home and double bag it to reduce smells.
Report a waste emergency
If you need to report an emergency issue where waste is causing injury or hazard call us and listen to select an option carefully. Phone 0131 608 1100, from Monday -Thursday 1000-1600 and Friday 1000-1500. After these hours, phone 0131 200 2000.
You can also email waste@edinburgh.gov.uk with the specific location and details of the issue.
Gala comedy benefit to support striking refuse workers, starring Mark Thomas, Jason Byrne, Jo Caulfield, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Mark Nelson, Shazia Mirza, Susie McCabe, Rachel Fairburn, Vladimir McTavish and Danny Bhoy
Edinburgh refuse workers, like all of us, are being hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis. They are on strike for a living wage. The money raised from the benefit, organised by The Stand Comedy Club & English comedian Mark Thomas, ‘One of the few stand-ups still to carry the political standard of alternative comedy’ (Chortle), will go straight to their official strike fund.
Mark Thomas (below) says: “These are the workers who got us through Covid and now they are being told to take a real cut in their wages. It’s unacceptable and they deserve our support in fighting back.”
GMB Support Worker Kirsten Muat says: “Too many local government workers across Scotland are already suffering in work poverty. The bin men in Edinburgh are striking to try and put an end to that.
“GMB are incredibly grateful to everyone supporting the striking workers, including all the comedians and members of the public coming along to the benefit gig.”
The support will go along to ensuring workers in Edinburgh waste and their families can survive this cost of living crisis and sustain action.
Unite members in Waste and Cleansing in Edinburgh will begin industrial action today over the ‘insulting’ pay offer for local government workers.
Last Friday, COSLA increased the offer from 2% to 3.5%. All three unions of the Scottish Joint Council -Unite, Unison and GMB – immediately rejected the offer.
The NHS have been offered—and look set to reject—5%, so once again local government is treated as the poor relation of the public sector. Local government workers in England have been offered a rise of £1,925.
Edinburgh is the first council to take action, with others following on the 24th.
Pickets and support
The strike takes place from 5am today to 5am on Tuesday 30 August with daily pickets at seven waste depots across the city.
UNITE will be demonstrating at the City Chambers on Thursday 18 August at 9am as part of the industrial action.
Following this, the trade union will join the RMT rally on Waverley Bridge at 10am to foster solidarity among workers and hear from Mick Lynch and Mark Thomas.
THE CITY COUNCIL HAS ISSUED THE FOLLOWING ADVICE:
What to do with your waste and recycling
Communal services
Collections are suspended for all communal waste and recycling bins. Please do not add to full bins. Check nearby bins instead, and when these are all full, store your waste at home, or in your back green or garden if possible. Do not leave bags next to bins unless this is unavoidable, as it can become a hazard.
Keep separating your waste and rinse pots, tubs and trays, and rinse and squash your plastic bottles and aluminium cans, so that these don’t smell while you store them. Flatten cardboard too.
Keep food waste in a sealed container, as cool as possible.
Glass bank services will continue as these are managed by an external contactor.
Kerbside services
Non recyclable waste collections (grey bins)
Suspended. Please do not put your grey bin out. Please keep your waste safe, secure and away from pavements and roads. Consider using a garage, garden or driveway and ensure strong bin bags are properly secured.
Mixed recycling collections (green bins)
Suspended. Please do not put your green bin out. Please keep your recycling clean and flattened, and stored safely.
Food waste collections
Suspended. Please do not put your food bin out. Please ensure your kerbside food waste bin is closed and secured to prevent animal access.
Glass collections (blue box)
Suspended. Please do not put your blue box out. Please rinse bottles and jars and store these at home. Please do not use on street or local bring site recycling points to dispose of your glass. We do not have the staff resources to empty these or clean up fly-tipped material.
Garden waste collections (brown bins)
Suspended. Please do not put your brown bin out. We understand the disappointment this will cause and at the moment, we cannot advise when the service will be running normally again.
We are working on how best to replace the collections affected, and will provide further information on this later.
Report a missed bin
Since normal scheduled collections are suspended, we cannot take reports of missed bins. Please do not present your bin for collection until advised to do so.
Collections of bulky waste items
Suspended. Existing bookings will be honoured where staffing allows. If you have booked a special uplift and we can’t collect it, we will let you know.
Household waste recycling centres
Closed. It will not be possible to book an appointment, and all existing bookings will be contacted by email to cancel.
Request and replacing bins and boxes
Repair and replacement of bins and boxes are suspended. Uplifts of any unwanted waste containers is also suspended.
Litter/ dogs bins and street cleansing
Please also note there will be no street cleansing activities including street sweeping and litter bin emptying. Please either use a bin that’s not full or take it home and double bag it to reduce smells.
Waste reporting and enquires
We have removed all online reporting for waste and cleansing as we are unable to carry out these services during the industrial action.
If you need to report an emergency issue where waste is causing injury or hazard, please phone and listen to the new options carefully. Phone 0131 608 1100, from Monday -Thursday 1000-1600 and Friday 1000-1500. After these hours, phone 0131 200 2000.
You can also email waste@edinburgh.gov.uk with the specific location and details of the issue.
Please be mindful that staff working will be very busy and are all doing their best to deal with a lot of issues at this time.
