ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Street cleaners and refuse collectors in Scotland are being forced to seek second jobs to pay their bills, according to union officials. And some are turning to foodbanks.

Glasgow's street cleaners are left with little money after paying Glasgow's average rent of £650 per month, says GMB shop steward Barry McAreavey. He adds that gas and electricity costs have risen steeply, with bills now amounting to at least £100 per month.

"This leaves a Glasgow road sweeper or bin worker with approximately £300 to put bread on the table for four weeks," he said. "Imagine if they had families to keep."

Refuse and GMB Union convenor Chris Mitchell claims some members are considering taking jobs in McDonalds to make up their wages at the end of the month.

"We are in a low paid bracket," he said. "We earn under £25,000 a year, and people have mortgages and families. It is workplace poverty. Some of our workers will go to the foodbank while others are having to take on second employment just to live."

He also claims to have taken calls from staff who say they are unable to pay the bus or train fare to get to work.

Pay awards in Scotland are negotiated nationally by COSLA - the voice of local government in Scotland - in conjunction with the joint trades unions. According to a Glasgow City Council spokesman: "These have typically been consistently above inflation in recent years for staff at lower grades."

A COSLA deal in April last year saw workers receive a 4.7 per cent pay rise.