Allerdale bin collections to be disrupted as UNITE and GMB strike action begins

Households in Allerdale will see disruptions to bin collections as strike action gets underway.

Members of the UNITE and GMB unions working for Allerdale Waste Services are walking out tomorrow and Friday in a dispute over pay.

Notifications of strikes have also been received for the next week and the week after.

There will be no bins collected on Monday 1 May because of the bank holiday so collections will take place one day later than normal, including a Saturday collection for those normally collected on Friday.

Cumberland Council says residents and businesses should continue to put out their domestic waste for collection.

If teams are not able to collect on the scheduled day, they will prioritise these collections the following time.

Residents should not present their recycling, paper and card and garden waste as during the industrial action this service is suspended to prioritise collecting domestic and trade waste. 

Recycling sites will also be serviced more regularly throughout the period of industrial action.

Charles Holmes, Managing Director of Allerdale Waste Services said: “It is disappointing that the Unions have taken this step to call a strike. The strikes are in the context of the workforce having been awarded a 10.1% pay rise on 1 April this year.

"The Union’s request of a 32.6% increase for drivers and 19.2% for loaders is completely unaffordable and is not able to be supported by the company."

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Allerdale Waste Services can’t continue paying poverty pay to our members who are undertaking essential frontline roles.

“There is absolutely no justification at all to be paying rates far below what workers undertaking the same roles in neighbouring areas are paying their workers.”

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