Bin men in Redbridge will now take industrial action throughout the entirety of July, building on a week-long strike over the election.
Employees of Redbridge Civic Services (RCS), an arms-length company that handles waste collection for the council, will walk out between 1 July and 7 July.
As negotiations continue, Unite, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, has now announced that from 8 July until the end of the month there will also be a ban on overtime work for members.
General secretary Sharon Graham said: “Redbridge is a Labour council, yet it is treating its workers with contempt and Unite will not stand for it.
“Our members have the unending support of their union as they take to the picket line and stand firm in working their proper hours.”
The initial walkout will clash with the general election on 4 July, in which council leader Jas Athwal is contesting the Ilford South seat for Labour.
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, is standing for re-election in the neighbouring constituency of Ilford North.
The council previously offered what it called an “extensive package of support” that constituted a “significant improvement” in conditions, following on from “generous salary increases” in 2022 and 2023.
A spokesperson said earlier this month: “The council is helping to facilitate negotiations in the hope that both parties can reach an agreement to prevent strike action and ensure the local people we all serve are not adversely impacted.”
The strike was called over working conditions and an alleged overreliance on overtime, which was increasing illness among workers. Employees of RCS, which is wholly owned by the authority, were also said to receive less pay than their council colleagues.
Nick West, Unite’s regional officer, said officials and politicians “needed to recognise the anger of our members” and could “look forward to seeing rubbish piled up outside polling stations” if action wasn’t taken.
He added: “Our members collect the borough’s waste in all weathers. They are regularly understaffed and under-resourced making their work far more difficult than it needs to be. They aren’t going to stand for this any longer.”
Redbridge had initially hoped RCS would be able to profit from waste and recycling collections, but nearly scrapped it in 2022 over mounting debts.
Steve Moore, the council’s corporate director of communities, said RCS had “done everything possible” to meet conditions.
He added: “Given RCS’s extensive package of support, including generous salary increases in 2022 and 2023, totalling an average 16 per cent rise in wages, this decision by Unite the Union to conduct a strike is disappointing.
“We had hoped both sides would continue negotiations in good faith until an agreement was reached. The council will continue to work closely with RCS to support the collection of residents’ black bin waste throughout the strike and minimise disruption to local families.
“We know RCS staff work incredibly hard every day to keep our borough clean, and we remain grateful for their service, especially those who will be working through next week to prevent disruption to local people.”
Richard Fassnidge, the manager director of RCS, likewise said it was “extremely disappointing and frustrating” that strike action would go ahead, “despite our best efforts to meet [Unite’s] requested conditions”.
He added: “Over the past few weeks, we have met with union representatives on several occasions and offered to negotiate each of their conditions. Our latest offer received no formal response from the union, and instead, we were informed strike action would take place through the week of the general election.
“RCS will continue to do everything within its power to continue to provide a vital waste collection service for Redbridge residents throughout the strike.”
