South Tyneside bin strikes officially over, council confirms

Refuse workers who have been on strike in South Tyneside have called off all further industrial action.

South Tyneside Council has confirmed today (Friday 19 July) that the GMB union has stood down all mandates for further strike action, officially ending the waste service dispute in the area after nine months of disruption.

Earlier this month the union stood down strike action but still had two outstanding 'dispute' ballots in place at the end of 2024.

The union said it has written to South Tyneside Council to confirm its members have voted to end the dispute, and that both mandates are being withdrawn.

Bin workers first raised a grievance with the council in June last year over claims of bullying and mismanagement.

An action plan agreed upon by all parties in April 2024 is being implemented to improve PPE and communication.

Leader of South Tyneside Council, Cllr Tracey Dixon, said: "I can now say with confidence that we have reached a resolution and there will be no further strike action.

"We are united in our efforts to improve waste services and get collections back to normal. We are already seeing improvements, and I know our residents will be too.

"We have never stepped away from dialogue and have done everything we can to end this dispute permanently. Whilst this has been a lengthy and protracted process, it was important that matters raised by the workforce were properly considered. We have gone to great lengths to listen to their concerns and address them – concerns that I heard first-hand while directly engaging with the workforce and GMB."

ITV Tyne Tees has reached out to the GMB union for comment.

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