Refuse workers' strike action over pay halted

Plans for further strike action by waste collectors and street cleaners has been called off "following last-minute negotiations", a union said.

One third of Great Yarmouth Services (GYS) workers, which also included landscapers and grave diggers, withdrew their labour earlier this month after their demand for a 20% pay increase was rejected and they were offered a 3.3% rise.

Andreas Kucher, a Unite the Union regional officer, said: "In the spirit of good relations our members at GYS agreed to suspend today's strike action, negotiate, and hopefully agree on a suitable offer which can be brought to the members."

Great Yarmouth Borough Council owns GYS and has been contacted for comment.

The union added that should the negotiations fail industrial action planned for 27 and 28 August would go ahead.

Great Yarmouth, Gorleston-on-Sea and their surrounding villages in Norfolk were impacted by industrial action earlier in August.

Following the strike on 7 August, the Conservative leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Carl Smith, said it was "business as usual", with five bin lorries out collecting household waste as opposed to the usual seven.

Smith previously described the union's demands for a 20% pay increase as "totally unacceptable and unreasonable" adding it would cost the borough's taxpayers an additional £1m a year.

The union said a 20% pay rise would put staff on par with pay awarded to workers doing the same jobs in Norwich, Broadland and Lowestoft.

Kucher said previously the majority of staff on strike were currently being paid 11p above minimum wage.

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