Somerset Council 'braced for disruption' ahead of bin strikes
The walkouts, in an ongoing dispute with the Unite Union and the council's contractor - Suez - are expected to start from Wednesday (July 12)
Somerset Council say the authority's 'braced for disruption' as the bin strikes loom this week.
Bosses are pushing for patience when the industrial action starts on Wednesday (July 12) amid an ongoing pay dispute between the Unite Union and Suez.
If the walkouts go ahead, operatives are set to strike every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for four weeks.
But the council is contingency planning on the basis that it goes ahead as planned.
Somerset Council's plan for during the strike period
During the striking period, the council and its collections contractor Suez UK will redeploy staff to try and limit the damage, but residents are told to expect many missed collections of recycling, refuse and garden waste.
Collections of refuse, clinical waste, and waste from communal properties and schools will be prioritised but this is no guarantee they will take place on time.
Recycling is more likely to be missed as staff are redeployed, though we will do our best to make sure everyone gets at least one recycling collection during the strike.
Residents are asked to:
- Put waste out on the usual day but expect missed collections
- Put it out before 7am, even if your collection is usually later
- If recycling or garden waste is missed, bring it back in until your next collection day. Don’t report it
- If refuse or clinical is missed, leave it out and report it as missed, online if possible
From 17 July onwards, crews will accept one additional black sack of refuse at the side of the bin.
Extra recycling will also be accepted, if presented as below:
- Plastics and cans in an open bag, like a bag for life, or a carboard box
- Glass needs to stay in your recycling box
- Cardboard folded and placed next to your recycling box, please keep to a minimum
- Food waste must stay in your food waste bin, but as a last resort can be double-bag and put it in your refuse bin
There will be extra possible collection days for people whose recycling is missed in the first week of the strike:
- If recycling is missed on Wednesday 12 July, put it out again on Monday 17 July
- If recycling is missed on Thursday 13 July, put it out again on Tuesday 18 July
- If recycling is missed on Friday 14 July and Friday 21 July put it out again on Monday 24 July
All 16 of Somerset’s recycling sites will be open as usual.
Mickey Green, Somerset Council’s Executive Director for Climate and Place, said: “If these strikes go ahead, major disruption and inconvenience is unavoidable.
“We’ll do what we can to manage it, but if the staff aren’t available you simply can’t get the waste off the ground.
“This could be a very difficult period and would ask for the public’s patience. We are far from the only area experiencing this kind of issue, but that won’t make a Somerset strike any less difficult for its residents.”
'Industrial action is the very last outcome we wanted'
The strikes are a part of a wider bout of action happening across the South West against Suez - including in South Gloucestershire.
In that region, spokesperson for SUEZ recycling and recovery UK said: "We have offered our teams working on our South Gloucestershire Council contract an 8% pay increase for 2023 which, when combined with the similar pay increase agreed in 2022, delivers pay increases of 15 – 16.75% over 2 years. This was rejected by Unite the Trade Union, who are seeking a 15% increase for 2023 alone, which would deliver pay increases in excess of 22% over 2 years.
"Industrial action is the very last outcome we wanted to see and our goal is to reach an agreement that would bring this to an end. Our door is still open and we welcome further discussions with Unite.
"With just over 40% of our people in South Gloucestershire continuing to work, we are able to provide a limited collection service that prioritises collecting black bin waste and opening the larger Sort It centres."
In Bristol, a new set of talks and the offer of a new pay deal means strikes in that region have been paused, until the result of the ballot by the Unite Union - which you can find out more about here.
If industrial action does take place, Somerset Council’s website will be the best place for the latest information about disruption.
Read more: Somerset Council 'preparing' for planned bin strikes