Union votes to avoid strikes and accept bin worker pay deal

Mr Greenaway said he was pleased that the threat of industrial action had been brought to an end.

But he criticised council leaders’ “stubborn refusal and lack of urgency” to ask the Scottish government for additional funding, and warned that public sector pay deals should not be blamed for spending cuts.

He said: “It should not take imminent strike action to deliver a fair offer but, while it came too late, the deal was above inflation for all staff and weighted to benefit front-line workers most.

“Ministers implying a fair pay offer for our members means cuts to spending are only diverting attention from the real cause of the crisis in our public services.

“Government is about choices but, when our public services are struggling to recruit and retain skilled staff, paying council staff fairly is not part of the problem but part of the solution.”

Staff in 26 of Scotland’s 32 council areas had planned to walk out between 14 and 22 August after rejecting two previous Cosla deals.

They had been offered a 3.2% rise, backdated to April.

They warned there would be a repeat of scenes from the summer of 2022, when rubbish piled up on the streets in cities including Edinburgh and Glasgow.