Chichester bin workers call off New Year strike threat

Refuse and recycling workers in Chichester have called off their threat to strike over the New Year after accepting a new pay deal.

Those with the GMB union were due to stage walkouts in January, following on from similar disputes across Sussex and the wider South throughout 2022.

The union said on Friday (December 9th) that it had accepted an offer from Chichester District Council to add a 5% uplift to a recently awarded 10% national pay settlement.

HGV drivers at the depot will also see their market supplement formally retained for a further two years, together with an 4.1% uplift from January.

The offer also contains confirmation all existing current terms and conditions will be retained and back pay to June 2022 will be paid in December’s pay cycle.

In a statement, the GMB said that the deal only means industrial action has been suspended, not cancelled.

They added that a formal cancellation will only come about 'once our members are assured that all payment increases have been actioned by management.'

Gary Palmer, GMB Regional Organiser said:

“It’s not the end game as far as the GMB are concerned within public refuse, private refuse, street cleansing or the recycling sector.

“On the contrary, hardworking and normally unappreciated workers as such as those at Chichester Council and at other depots across the Southeast have started a fight that their true value to the community be recognised.

“These key workers are out working out in all elements, carrying out a dirty and difficult role to remove an ever-increasing amount of residents’ rubbish.

“We want decent pay for our members and Councils and employers have a simple choice: be like Chichester District Council and talk to the GMB and our members to negotiate a solution, or ignore us and face the consequences of being the root cause of industrial unrest, leading to upset workforces, full-on disruption to kerbside collections and residents’ rubbish piling up in the streets for long periods of time.

“While GMB hopes everyone chooses to be like Chichester Council, experience tells me they are the exception rather than the rule.

“We now move to prepare for our members’ claims throughout 2023.”

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