In the week the Prime minister announced that households would not need to sort rubbish into seven bins Refuse workers in Penrith will down tools for two weeks in a dispute over pay.
Dozens of staff at Urbaser, who hold the contract for refuse collection, will take industrial action from October 2 to 13.
Households in the former Allerdale area of Cumbria have faced five months of strikes and disruption to bin collections over pay disputes that have recently seen unions agree a deal with the new Cumberland Council.
In what appears to be an identical dispute households across the former Eden Council area will now face strike action and disruption over pay disputes as workers including drivers, loaders and cleaners are calling for a pay rise to help ease the cost-of-living crisis.
Households in South Lakeland Lakeland and Barrow areas now also part of Westmorland and Furness Council will not be subject to strike action as the council has alternative contractors providing bin services in those areas.
Michael Hall, GMB regional organiser, said:
“All these workers are asking for is fair pay. They deserve a decent wage for the vital work they do.
“The only realistic way to achieve this is to bring the service back in house, but Urbaser bosses don’t want to hear it.
“We are happy to talk anytime to resolve this dispute. We urge Penrith council/the employer to speak to us and sort this out.”
Westmorland and Furness Council member Councillor Colin Atkinson has said “similar strikes by bin men in Allerdale caused 5 months of disruption and misery for residents there. I call upon the leaders of the LibDem run W&F council to get around the table with the GMB union and negotiate a swift and lasting settlement to this dispute to minimise any delays to rubbish and recycling collection in Eden”
Westmorland and Furness Council has said that the council “has been made aware that GMB Union members of the council contractor Urbaser, have voted in favour of strike action. The strike action will be taken by staff employed by Urbaser, the council’s waste and environmental services contractor in the Eden area.”
A council spokes person added “We are obviously disappointed that the recent negotiations on a pay deal between the union and the contractor have not been resolved and that this has resulted in strike action. This action may result in some disruption to our contracted waste and environmental services and we appreciate that this will be frustrating for our residents in the Eden area of Westmorland and Furness.
At this stage, the advice to residents in the Eden area by the council is to continue putting out your blue bags for collection on your scheduled collection day.
The industrial action does not impact recycling or green waste collections in the Eden area as these are provided under a different contract.
Council-operated recycling ‘Bring Sites’ and Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) will continue to open and operate as normal during the period of industrial action.
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