Bin collectors in Huntingdonshire set to strike later this month

Bin collectors and other staff members at Huntingdonshire District Council could strike later this month over pay.

The district council has said it is preparing for the planned industrial action between August 21 and August 25.

UNISON said the authority’s pay offer to staff would still leave them “struggling to make ends meet”.

The union announced last month that it was “urgently seeking meetings” with the district council to avoid a walk out after a majority of its members had voted in support of taking strike action.

However, UNISON has now said it is ‘disappointed’ that senior managers at the authority were “failing to take the pay issue more seriously”.

The district council has said talks continue to resolve the dispute, but that contingency planning was underway to “try and limit the impact on residents” if the strike goes ahead.

UNISON said the district council had offered staff a four-per cent pay rise, as well as a one-off payment of £1,000. A further payment to be made in December.

The union launched a strike ballot that saw 76 per cent of its members voting to back strike action being taken.

The union said it understood an improved offer could be made to employees, but that details of this had not yet been provided.

Rob Turner, the UNISON Cambridgeshire County branch secretary, said: “It’s disappointing that senior council managers are failing to take the pay issue more seriously. Staff aren’t happy, and not enough is being done to resolve the situation.

“No one ever wants to go on strike. But these workers are being left with little alternative. They know local government staff in other parts of England and Wales have been offered more.

“Huntingdonshire’s employees aren’t asking for the moon. Just a fair pay increase that better reflects the rising cost of rent, food, fuel, energy and pretty much everything else as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.

“The threat of strike action has clearly persuaded managers at the local authority to think again. It’s high time they made staff a much better offer.”

Councillor Martin Hassall, the executive councillor for corporate and shared services, said he was committed to continuing conversations with UNISON, but said he was “disappointed” the union had announced the intention to take strike action.

He said: “Rising costs and inflation has impacted all of us and the council is not immune to these financial challenges. We have made the commitment to rewarding staff fairly, and offering other benefits, whenever we are able to do so.

“This led to staff receiving a four- per cent pay award for this financial year along with a further £1,000 one-off award to all contracted staff in March.

“We must remain in a position to provide vital public services and protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

“Each percentage increase in staff salary costs the council £250,000 a year, and this year’s pay award already requires an additional £5million to fund it over the next five years.

“Unless financial results are better than forecast, or the longer-term financial landscape changes, further consolidated pay increases this year look to be unaffordable.

“Arrangements will be put in place to ensure that we can maintain our frontline services as best we can on the days affected but some services will have to be prioritised at the expense of others and we would ask for the public’s patience.

“If there are any changes to services, then we will communicate these via our website and social media.”