PARefuse workers in Wrexham will be striking this month in a dispute over working patterns and reduced pay.
Members of the Unite union who work in the street scene operation team at Wrexham council are pushing back against changes to overtime hours which see them given compulsory Saturday shifts.
The strikes, voted for by 71% of about 100 workers involved in the dispute, will take place on 23 and 30 August, 6, 13, 20 and 27 September, 4, 11, 18, and 25 October and 1, 8 and 14 November.
The union said the action was “completely [the council’s] fault” for “targeting lower paid staff”.
Wrexham council said it was “extremely disappointed” as Unite took part in a “lengthy and prolonged consultation”.
The dispute comes after Wrexham council changed the way workers were given overtime.
Previously, staff were given additional days off over Christmas and could volunteer to work overtime.
But the council later introduced compulsory Saturday work and threatened workers with disciplinary action if they do not attend, Unite said, adding the move was taken without any consultation with workers or the union.
The changes also mean Unite members’ pay will be reduced for overtime, following several years of below inflation pay rises as well as this year’s below-inflation offer to local authority workers of 3.2 %, the union said.
Unite regional officer Simon Ellis said: “We know residents of Wrexham will be concerned about bin strikes, but this is completely the fault of the local council and their unacceptable behaviour towards their staff.
“Our hardworking members are not asking for extra pay, this dispute is all about protecting their agreed overtime remuneration and working hours.
“Wrexham council cannot keep targeting lower paid staff and must roll back on these unfair plans and come back to the table.”
Alwyn Jones, Wrexham council’s interim chief executive, said: “It’s important to note that given the difficult financial position public services find themselves in, the public in Wrexham have and continue to be faced with ever-increasing council tax bills plugging gaps in finances across the council area and protecting public service delivery.
“The council embarked on an extensive transformation programme in an attempt to negotiate the difficult decisions that are required to ensure we remain financially solvent. All of the recognised trade unions have been party to consultation on the detail of the budget saving proposals.”
Mr Jones said more than £100,000 had been saved by switching refuse collections to Saturdays instead of bank holidays, adding the change “has been through all of the council’s processes and committee cycles and consultation processes”, and only 19 individual responses amongst a workforce of 245 employees disagreed with the plans.
He said the council had “worked hard to save jobs and continue to support in-house delivery of public services” and would “remain committed to this principle”.
“[We] are very upset that this trade union has chosen to take this action and potentially put the public in the county borough through another period of unnecessary service disruption,” he added.
