Tens of thousands of artists and tourists flock to the Scottish capital for this major festival that turns Edinburgh into a huge stage for dance, theater and music every summer.
Garbage bins overflowing in the middle of the city’s much-anticipated festival: a cleaner’s strike over pay demands has left Edinburgh smothered in rubbish as it welcomes artists and visitors from around the world.
Tens of thousands of artists and tourists flock to the Scottish capital for this major festival that turns Edinburgh into a huge stage for dance, theater and music every summer.
There are many who express dissatisfaction with the stench from the garbage that accumulates on the streets. “I didn’t play today. Not even yesterday, because there’s no pleasant place to play music,” said street artist James Tofali, as he picked up litter outside Waverley station.
Gina Rank, a tourist from Australia, admitted she was disappointed not to find the ‘Beautiful Edinburgh’ she knew: “It’s not usually like that,” she commented. “It takes your breath away and not just because of the stench. Some came this year for the first time. It’s a shame they leave with that impression,” he said.
Edinburgh native Ian Tomlinson said he had never seen his city like this before. “It’s embarrassing. It really bothers me to walk around the city and see so much rubbish.”
Like other workers in various sectors across the country (dock workers, train drivers…) waste collection workers in Edinburgh are on strike to demand pay rises amid Britain’s spending power crisis. The strike began on Thursday and will continue until August 30.
Miles Briggs, a local authority spokesman, said the situation “tarnishes the town’s image” and called on the Scottish Government to intervene. Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed regret that the strike coincided with the festival, at a time when Edinburgh is “at the heart of the arts world”. He hopes Friday’s proposal of 5% raises will solve the problem, but unions insist that figure falls short of inflation, which is running at 10.1% (a 40-year high) and is expected to reach 13%. in October.
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