Bin men in Redbridge have called off a two-week long strike after accepting an ‘improved’ offer by the council.
Workers employed by Redbridge Civic Services (RCS), a subsidiary of Redbridge Council, were set to walk out between 22 August and 5 September.
They said they were subject to worse conditions than their council colleagues and “pressure” to work overtime on weekends had worsened morale and led to increased sickness rates.
After a series of negotiations, they accepted new terms from the council the day the strike would have begun.
The last-minute offer included an increase in sick pay from ten days to three months, a reduced working week and paid overtime. Redbridge also committed to a review of its vehicles after constant breakdowns meant workers were sometimes finishing late.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of workers’ union Unite, confirmed the strike had been cancelled in a statement.
She said: “The (workers) are to be congratulated on their resolve and willingness to take industrial action to help fix the abhorrent situation they found themselves in.”
She had previously said the council “needed to get its house in order” and accused it of trying to run a “vital service on the cheap”.
Unite regional officer Nicholas West added: “We’ve finally had the much needed involvement of the council and our members have finally been presented with a reasonable offer that they have accepted and returned to work.”
Kam Rai, the newly appointed leader of Redbridge Council, described his meetings with workers and the union as “productive”.
Cllr Rai added: “I was also clear that the staff and their work is valued by all of us, as is RCS remaining successful – demonstrating that completely outsourcing services is not always the answer.”
He continued: “I will ensure we continue to facilitate dialogue between local frontline staff, the RCS management and the council to iron out any difficulties and misunderstandings.
“There will always be challenges in what is a tough environment, but it’s important genuine concerns are acted upon in good faith. When collecting waste each week from thousands of households, there will inevitably be times when a collection is missed.”
Members held a week-long strike in July over the same “worsening conditions,” and refused to work overtime throughout the entire month. The walk-out clashed with the general election, which saw former council leader and board member Jas Athwal elected as the Labour MP for Ilford South.
