Time for the council to stop playing the public for fools and get serious about making an offer
An eleventh-hour attempt to avoid a North Somerset bin strike will take place today [7 April] as GMB union and the council meet for talks.
More than 100 workers at recycling centres and refuse collection services run by North Somerset Environment Company are set to walk out for six days in April: 12 to 13, 16 to 17 and 21 to 22.
Bin workers in North Somerset will go on strike for six days in April, a union has announced. https://t.co/rPDgixGuOV
— Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury (@WSMERCURY) March 29, 2022
Industrial action is expected to affect 88,000 homes.
Currently the pay increase on offer from the council range from a 27 to 33 pence per hour.
This offer is in place after last year the company closed pay talks and imposed a 1.75% pay rise.
Crunch talks have been held https://t.co/HmD751UTNL
— Somerset Live (@SomersetLive) March 25, 2022
GMB union has called on the council to ‘be honest with themselves about how bad the pay is’ and make a real pay offer members can get behind to avert strike action next Tuesday.
Tim Northover, GMB Regional Organiser, said:
“It’s good news that these talks are taking place, but at the end of the day they will only mean anything if the council gets serious about an offer.
“Right now, they’re taking the public for fools by putting out deceiving statements. Twenty-seven pence is twenty-seven pence, no matter how they try and dress it up.
“It's time they were honest with themselves about how bad the pay is and put their hands in their pockets and do something about it.”
