Why I have a nagging fear another bin strikes dispute will blight Edinburgh's festivals

It may catch the majority of its residents by surprise, especially if the weather remains stubbornly chilly, but Edinburgh’s big summer season of cultural events will properly get underway this weekend with the first open-air concerts at the castle esplanade.

Madness’s curtain-raiser at the Tattoo’s arena will launch a seven-week programme encompassing well over 4,000 events, most of which will unfold within walking distance of the Royal Mile, Princes Street and Waverley Station, one of the biggest selling points of the city’s cultural offering.

Images of street performers and entertainers surrounded by crowds as they perform against the backdrop of St Giles’ Cathedral or the High Street are some of the most iconic used to promote a holiday in Scotland.

The 2022 waste collection dispute, which was staged at the height of Edinburgh's festivals, went on for 12 days. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

But two years ago a very different picture was sent around the world – as an excruciating PR nightmare unfolded for the city and country, as well as for festivals, venues and performers trying to attract audiences.

No-one who was around for the second half of that festival season will want to recall the mini-mountains of rubbish which quickly began to take shape during a 12-day walk-out by striking waste and recycling workers.

A collective groan of dismay could almost be heard across the city this week when it emerged the Unite and GMB unions had secured mandates for new strikes in local authority areas across Scotland, including Edinburgh. Both have, unsurprisingly, raised the prospect of a repeat of the scenes on the streets of Edinburgh two years ago.

Apart from the obvious embarrassment at how Edinburgh looked at the height of its tourism season, my overriding memory from two years ago was of political paralysis over how to resolve the dispute, as bickering over who was to blame dragged on.

The 2022 waste collection dispute, which was staged at the height of Edinburgh's festivals, went on for 12 days. Picture: Katielee Arrowsmith

In the end, it took an intervention from then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon to bring all sides to the negotiating table before the action was called off. The optimistic side of me hopes lessons will have been learned, both in terms of how to bring the dispute to an end, but also in mitigating the potential impact of strikes.

But with First Minister John Swinney likely to be heavily distracted by the aftermath of the general election in the coming days and weeks, I have a nagging fear the dispute will be allowed to drag on longer than necessary.

With the festivals facing competition for the public’s attention from the Euros, Wimbledon and the Olympics in coming weeks, the threat of uncollected rubbish blighting the city is the last thing they need.