Bin men in Redbridge will strike for a second time this summer following unsuccessful negotiations over working conditions.
Employees of Redbridge Civic Services, which is wholly owned by Redbridge Council, will walk out between 22 August and 5 September.
In a statement, trade union Unite said the “tone-deaf” council showed a “failure to negotiate” that left members with “little choice but to take further strike action”.
A spokesperson for Redbridge said the authority would “always encourage negotiations” to ensure residents are not “adversely impacted”.
The walkout follows a week-long strike over the same issues back in early July, and members are currently not working overtime.
Unite says the council has “failed to address” a “range of workplace issues,” ranging from workers “consistently” starting and finishing late due to vehicle breakdowns to “pressure to work overtime every weekend,” which “impacts social lives and mental wellbeing”.
Workers are contractually obligated to work an extra hour in ‘exceptional circumstances,’ but Unite says this has become a daily occurrence.
The increased workload has also led to a higher rate of staff sickness, an issue that is compounded by the “significantly lower” rates of sick pay compared to Redbridge employees, Unite added.
RCS bin men get ten days of paid sick leave every year, while their Redbridge colleagues are entitled to six months. Their absence has a “knock-on effect on the remaining fit staff,” the union added.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said the council “needed to get its house in order” and accused the authority of trying to run a “vital service on the cheap”.
She added: “Our members are furious that council leaders are lining their pockets while ignoring the working conditions of those vital workers collecting refuse day in and day out in all weathers.
“This tone-deaf approach and failure to negotiate in any meaningful way has left our members little choice but to take further strike action later this month.”
The council spokesperson said RCS was in “advanced stages of negotiations” with the union and maintained it was an independent company, despite its effective ownership.
They said: “The council is confident that RCS’s latest and extensive package of support, which follows generous salary increases in 2022 and 2023, totalling a 16% increase, provides fair remuneration and significantly improves employee conditions,” they said.
“The council will always encourage negotiations in the hope that both parties can reach an agreement to prevent strike action and ensure the local people we serve are not adversely impacted.”
