Adur and Worthing bin strikes over after pay deal agreed
Some workers will see rises of up to 20%
A long-running strike by refuse collection workers in Adur and Worthing has ended after a pay offer was accepted.
The GMB union said its members at Adur and Worthing Councils will receive a pay rise of between 8% and 20%.
Workers in the councils' refuse, recycling and street cleansing department have been taking industrial action since February.
The GMB said the pay deal will mean an increase of 8.2% for refuse loaders and 10.4% for cleansing drivers, while some HGV drivers will receive 20.7%.
Regional organiser Gary Palmer said:
"This is a tribute to our members and their dedication and determination to win an award that properly reflects the hard work they put in every day, and especially over the last two years.
"Now they have a deal which is not below inflation, but instead reflects market rates for this sort of work and keeps them ahead of the cost-of-living crisis.
"Our members are committed to the cleaning-up process that has already begun and will have this carried out as soon as possible."
A spokesman for Adur & Worthing Councils said:
"We are pleased that all parties have found a way to end this strike and thank residents and businesses for their patience during this difficult time.
"At all times we have sought to find a way to recognise the excellent work staff at this service undertake while being mindful that our budgets are tight and that we also have to protect other services. We think we can do that with this deal which gives extra remuneration for staff
"What we and our staff want to do now is continue the catch-up to remove the backlog from our streets as soon as possible.
"We will be reaching out shortly to our commercial customers who have had to seek alternative arrangements during the strike and we will be working on re-establishing green waste collections as soon as practicable after the backlog of residual and recyclable waste has been tackled."