WARRINGTON refuse workers have announced further bin strikes while Warrington Borough Council has been accused of “playing games” and “pedalling misinformation” by the Unite Union.
Unite has accused Warrington council of “doing nothing” while wrongly claiming it can’t resolve the refuse strike when other councils are reaching local deals with Unite.
Unite has now notified the council of more action from Tuesday 24 October until Monday 6 November. The first phase of strike action began action on Tuesday 3 October and ends on Monday 16 October.
The 50-plus workers say the national pay offer of a flat rate increase of £1,925 is not good enough. The offer is below the rate of inflation and amounts to a real terms pay cut.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Warrington council needs to stop playing games and get round the negotiating table. The council leaders need to realise that the strike is rock solid and the workers have Unite’s complete support.”
The national agreement for local government sets out minimum standards but local authorities can agree to better terms and conditions for workers if they wish.
Unite regional officer, Brian Troake said: “Warrington council is peddling misinformation claiming it can’t intervene in a nationally agreed pay deal. This is wrong. Unite has negotiated pay increases locally with a number of councils in recent weeks.
“Warrington council is choosing to ignore its workers who are struggling to pay the bills. The strike is rock solid, not a single bin has been emptied so far during this dispute. Doing nothing isn’t a sensible way to resolve a strike.”
In response to the latest strike action notice the borough council stated:”This has caused considerable disruption to our residents and businesses, with bins not being emptied during this period.
“Unfortunately yesterday, Tuesday, UNITE gave notice to the council that they intend to strike again from Tuesday 24 October until Monday 6 November.
“We currently expect a similar level of disruption during this second period of industrial action. The timing of this second strike by UNITE means that many of our plans to catch-up with waste collection following the current strike are now at serious risk. This will cause even more inconvenience and disruption to our residents and businesses.”
Put your black bins out 16-20 October
To accommodate for this second wave of strike action, we will focus on collecting black bin waste (ie normal household waste). However, we will be suspending green and blue bin collections in order to do this.
This means that from Tuesday 17 to Friday 20 October, please put your black bin out on your bin collection day for that week.
This means, even if it would normally be your blue bin collection during this week, put your black bin out instead.
As we have said from the start, this dispute is linked to national pay negotiations. It is not about local conditions in Warrington. UNITE are choosing to take strike action based on a national pay claim that has not been agreed by the national negotiating body for local government. Our other two recognised Trade Unions for this group of staff – UNISON and GMB – are not taking strike action.
It is clearly not appropriate for us to try and negotiate locally just with UNITE, in response to the pay claim that they made collectively with other Trade Unions on a national basis. The council does not agree with the action UNITE is taking. We do not believe it acts in the interest of our residents, businesses and other council employees.
How you can help
We know you will be very frustrated at this announcement. We would ask our residents to continue to make use of our community recycling centres. They will continue to have extended opening hours during the second strike window. You should also:
•Flatten any household waste before putting it in the bin. This will mean you can fit more in (but make sure not to pack waste in too tightly that it risks not being able to be emptied properly)
•Talk to your neighbours about sharing bin space so all bins are filled
•If you have the space and your bin is full, keep your recycling waste indoors
We understand you will have many more questions. We will continue to update our industrial action webpage: warrington.gov.uk/news/industrial-action-update
3 Comments
Typical WBC with their attitude towards the residents of Warrington
They simply DO NOT CARE about us it’s the same with everything objections to building application s road building they just don’t take the residents opinion on anything.
Well simple answer next May 2024 don’t vote them back in !
Unfortunately that will never happen.
WBC doesn’t want to spend money on workers they want to play monopoly instead, they always say they have no money for services and the nasty government will not give them anymore money yet they have millions to give a failing energy company and millions to give private companies but don’t ask for anything like sorting out poor footpaths that elderly people have to walk on the road as the paths are so unsafe, or give their workers more money, as the top management of the council will not get the bonuses. Remember guys on the picket line the council wants to reduce bin collections I remember not so long ago the possibility of emptying once a month which means less bin collections, less staff needed. If the bin man really want to cause some serious problems for the councils empty the blues bin waste at the same time as black and the council will not get the recycling money and you will gain more support from residents, because its the poor residents who are stuck in the middle of not a national dispute as sold to the residents its a local dispute and the council need to resolve it as we are not all stupid. Next election everyone vote them out! If councils and governments alike realise that each election their job maybe gone maybe they would all start to look after the people instead of themselves, the people have the power here, together we can make a real difference.