WASTE workers took to the picket lines yesterday as their payrise row strike got under way.

Around 80 Unite members in Inverclyde walked out after talks between unions and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) over an increase failed to produce an agreement.

Union representatives told the Telegraph the five per cent offer on the table is 'well below' what their members need.

Stuart Graham, who is Unite's Inverclyde convenor, believes the settlement would not be enough to help the union's lowest paid members cope with the cost of living crisis.

He said: "To put it politely the guys are really peeved off with the pay offers we've had, it's a kick in the teeth.

"That's why we're all out here, and it's not just us, other unions will be walking out as well over the next few weeks.

"We want what we've asked for - a £3,000 flat cash payment, so that the workers on the lower incomes will get the same as the workers on the higher incomes.

"Our members need this to live, what we're being offered now isn't going to pay our bills.

"I hope the members of the public stand with us, because we all need to fight for each other.

"We're not just out for us, we're here for the home helpers, the care workers, the school cleaners - everyone.

"We've walked out to show how important we are to the area, we keep Inverclyde clean.

"There have been cuts for years and we can't keep going like this."

Striking workers began the action with a picket line outside Pottery Street recycling centre, with members of the public showing their support by sounding their car horns as they drove past.

The stoppage will last until August 31, with other unions taking part in similar actions over the coming weeks.

Labour councillor Colin Jackson, who is also a Unite member, joined the picket line and backed the workers' calls for a better pay deal.

He added: "These guys have been working their socks off for the last couple of years during the pandemic, they're vital workers.

"The offer they've been given is going to do nothing to lift a lot of these guys out of poverty.

"A lot of the workers are using foodbanks, things like holidays are just a dream because they're living on the breadline.

"They're some of the lowest-paid workers in the country, but they turn up every day to do their job and keep our environment clean.

"Five per cent is ridiculous, I wouldn't even call it a pittance, it's an insulting offer.

"COSLA and the Scottish Government need to hang their heads in shame.

"There's a real socio-economic difference between the decision-makers and the people that are here today.

"If the people in charge think that the workers can live on what they're being offered they're seriously deluded.

"These guys have been fighting for the workers and better wages for a long time, we owe them a big thanks."

In response to the strikes, Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe called for the Scottish Government to provide more cash.

He said: “Local government finances are in a state of crisis as council’s face standstill budgets that cannot cope with the increasing demand.

“It is right that public service workers seek a fair pay settlement and the call must now be heard at the Scottish Government to provide the financial support required to ensure that essential services can continue.

“The inevitable result will be services getting cut, jobs being lost and the people who lose are the members of the community who rely on us, the local economy will suffer and local families trying to make ends meet in this cost of living crisis will be badly affected.”