Your views online

Bin man Charlie Docherty was suspended from work after questioning Nicola Sturgeon about the dispute with the council. He was later reinstated.

Ms Sturgeon approached him so why was he suspended and now under investigation? He is entitled to ask questions of politicians.

Xena – Warrior Princess, Edinburgh

Good grief, the council goes from bad to worse. He made his point very clearly, and while Nicola tried to deflect responsibility she failed to acknowledge that her own party is in coalition in Edinburgh. For the council to act so vindictively is even more of an outrage than the attempt to cut wages.

Duncan in Edinburgh

The suspension is a little heavy-handed. Would he have been suspended if he had the same conversation if Nicola had door-stepped him while on the campaign trail? The answer is, of course, no. He can say what he wants to a politician as he has no control on whether or not the TV company broadcasts or media reports his conversation.

Guanyersel

Have to ask, how high an opinion this council and executive have about themselves when it's a suspension offence to question them, but not for raising the same questions with a member of our parliament. Or is it because they don't want to attack the street cleansing the same way they have attacked the actual "refuse department". Good luck Charlie.

paul the binman

Who do the council think they are, some Stalinist dictatorship? Sure, if he'd been abusive or egged her, that's a breach of the peace, but all he did was raise his concerns about a local issue with a politician who approached him. The faceless unelected council jobsworth who took this decision is the one who should be suspended.

Reality Cheque

Not straying far from the council, teachers stranded abroad are being asked to make up lost hours.

Get them to work a couple of weeks out of their 37-week annual holiday entitlement. Simples.

Big T

I presume the council will be equally happy to pay overtime to the many teachers who are still in school until late in the evening preparing the following days lessons, or working at home marking jotters!

fresian

Couldn't agree more! The council is more than happy for teachers to work late into the night and/or weekends preparing lesson plans, forward plans, marking, etc, etc, without any remuneration for it, but when it comes to supporting those same staff when they are placed in an inescapable situation . . .

The Reaper, Grimsville

It would be unfair to dock teachers' pay, but equally unfair for taxpayers to cover the cost, as neither party is at fault.

Reality Cheque

My wife's a teacher, she usually works two or three hours a night marking homework. This is unpaid, and unseen to anyone who doesn't live with a teacher. So it kind of scunners me a bit to hear petty wee comments.

Laird o' Glenrothes

This seems fair. Without getting into a debate about the work ethic of teachers, there's no reason for them to be treated differently.

digestive biscuits V