Warrington council loses high court bid to end bin strikes
Members of Unite are walking out until the 4th of December
Last updated 1st Dec 2023
A council facing strikes by refuse collection workers has lost a High Court bid for an injunction to stop them taking industrial action.
Members of the trade union Unite in Warrington have walked out until December 4 in the fourth phase of industrial action amid a dispute with Warrington Borough Council over pay.
On Tuesday, the Labour-run council sought an interim injunction at the High Court in London to prevent the union from calling on its members at the Woolston waste depot to take "discontinuous" strike action.
The local authority claimed the strike was not the subject of a ballot, making the action unlawful, arguing the dispute on the ballot was being "used as a trojan horse" to obtain support for industrial action taken for other reasons.
However, in a judgment on Friday, Mrs Justice Eady dismissed Warrington Borough Council's bid.
She said: "The claimant may consider the 2023/24 pay dispute has been brought to an end but that does not mean that there are no longer any live issues relating to that dispute, which the defendant honestly and genuinely regards as continuing."
The judge concluded: "I do not find that this is such an exceptional case as to warrant the grant of an injunction."
Following the ruling, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described the legal bid as "a massive waste of taxpayers' money".
She continued: "The fact that Warrington council lodged this legal challenge, which sought to take advantage of an anti-trade union law, should go against everything Labour stands for, it is a disgrace.
"The 'industrial reality' is that there is only one way to settle this dispute and that is for Warrington council to get back into negotiations and put forward a reasonable offer. Warrington refuse workers have their union's absolute backing as they strike for a fair pay rise."
In a statement on its website, Warrington Borough Council said it was considering its options.
The statement said: "This ruling may lead to significant future implications for all councils who continue to abide by the national pay agreements for local government.
"It was our belief that we had a strong case and good prospect of a positive outcome.
"While this judgment deems the current strike action by Unite to be lawful, we continue to be hugely disappointed by the impact that their course of action is causing for our town.
"We continue to call on Unite and their members to end the strike and to return to work.
"We know that this ruling is not an acceptable outcome for our residents, whose bins desperately need emptying.
"We continue to consider legal options, including whether to appeal the court decision."