Adur and Worthing bin strike: Here's the latest as walk-out continues into third day over pay dispute

Adur and Worthing Councils said today (March 16) that it was still 'seeking ways' to bring 'all staff into talks and discussions' aimed at halting the bin strike as it entered its third day.

Members of the GMB union followed through with a threat to go on strike on Monday morning. The industrial action could last for up to four weeks.

Adur and Worthing Councils said that residents who are 'concerned about rubbish piling up', can book a slot at West Sussex County Council's two waste recycling sites in Shoreham and Worthing.

The sites are now open until 6pm and more slots have been made available. Click here to book.

The councils said staff are working hard to find ways that the current views of all staff at their refuse, recycle and cleansing service can he heard 'to find a solution to the dispute;.

They said that the views of all staff must be 'respected and heard fully'.

A spokesperson added: "While this dispute is ongoing, councils have thanked members of the cleansing team who are working for everything they are doing to keep our streets clean.

"The councils are also today seeking to correct misinformation circulating from various sources, about the pay deal already in place. This includes the misrepresentation of the HGV lorry drivers 12.7 per cent rise as not permanent when in fact it is proposed to add to ongoing salary.

"Officers are striving to find ways to reconcile that fact that UNISON is the recognised union across all councils’ services and by law has to be consulted on pay and condition issues at the same time as respecting that many workers in the refuse service have sought alternative representation through the GMB union, which has called the strike."

Despite calls to reconsider, GMB members went ahead with the strike and urged the council to 'stop obsessing and start addressing'.

Mark Turner GMB B50 Branch secretary, said: "The obsession to other campaigns GMB has run across the southeast is unhealthy and not helping or ever going to help with settling any dispute Adur and Worthing find themselves involved in. Why would it?

"We have tried to clear up any confusion in that GMB members and their own council staff are taking strike action not the GMB itself and the council need to remember it’s happening following two ballots one consultative and the other a formal and legally compliant independently run industrial action ballot, along with plenty of warnings during those processes over five weeks that without formal negotiations a strike was bound to happen."

The councils said it 'emerged today' that the first time the GMB made contact, on December 21, was to 'demand a meeting' with an 'immediate threat of industrial action' if none was held.

"This occured three months after a wholesale review of pay and conditions had been commenced involving all staff and UNISON," the spokesperson said.

The GMB has 'refused nine requests' for talks, according to the councils.

The spokesperson added: "We were concerned from the very first communications that we received from the GMB that they were going to be difficult to deal with threats of strike before we had even understood who they were, how many they represented and even what they wanted.

"It ripped up the rulebook of how to conduct decent industrial relations and how to respect the fact that their sister union was already in negotiation.

"Nevertheless we treat all staff the same and we value and respect all of them for the contribution they make to supplying first class services to our community.

"We have absolutely no interest in prolonging this dispute. Utmost in our minds also remains our residents and the need to remove this anxiety by returning their refuse collection service as soon as possible.

"We can only do that if all parties help to find a way through this that works for all staff and is fair to our residents."

The councils said that all staff had been given a pay rise in the first year of more than 6 per cent on top of a national backdated pay award of 1.75 per cent.

The councils' HGV drivers have been given pay rises of more than 12.7 per cent.

"All of these proposed rises are permanent additions to salary scales and not one-offs," they said.

"In total 65 members of staff have been moved up a pay grade grade and a further 40 who are required to drive HGVs regularly as part of their role will get a permanent annual £2,700 specialist skills supplement. Four more will get both the annual specialist skills supplement and be moved up a grade."

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