Unite has served industrial action notices to 29 councils in the escalating pay dispute between local government employers and employees in Scotland.
Last Friday, the union rejected a formal pay offer of a 2.2% uplift from 1 April, with a further 2% uplift taking effect from 1 October.
The trade union confirmed that it will ballot thousands of its members in cleansing and waste services from 5 June until 1 July when the ballots close.
If the ballots are successful, strike action could begin from July with major events, including the Edinburgh international and fringe festivals, potentially being impacted.
The only councils not involved in the ballot are Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, and the Orkney Islands.
A spokesperson for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) said they were ‘disappointed’ by the threat of strikes and added that the proposal was a good offer ‘in the context of inflation and the funding constraints faced by councils.’
