Windsor and Maidenhead bin collection workers to go on strike

More refuse collection workers are to strike over pay in the latest outbreak of industrial action hitting growing sectors of the economy.

The GMB said its members in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead will walk out on August 31 and the stoppage will continue until employers Serco make an improved pay offer.

The union said a 6% offer has been rejected by members, adding that rates of pay in the borough are below those in neighbouring authorities.

Nikki Dancey, GMB regional officer, said: "This is one of the most expensive areas in the country to live and this pay offer neither reflects that, nor the current rate of inflation, or the attached cost-of-living crisis.

"Increasing numbers of Serco workers are being forced into claiming benefits and using foodbanks to survive, and this will only worsen as we head towards winter.

"The strike will be going ahead from August 31 and the workers don't plan to return until they are offered a decent pay rise which reflects the vital work they do every day.

"There is still time though for Serco to avoid any inconvenience to local residents - which of course may include the Queen - by tabling a sensible pay offer and not one that leaves our members comparatively far worse off than they were last year."

GMB members working as refuse collectors have taken more than 100 days of strike action in recent months over pay, mainly across the south.