Refuse collectors striking over pay will hold a demonstration outside council offices today.
They work for Allerdale Waste Services, owned by Cumberland Council, and are taking industrial action over pay.
The workers want parity with their counterparts in Copeland – but Allerdale Waste Services say the demands are unaffordable.
Members of Unite and the GMB unions have been on strike since May 16 and Allerdale Waste Services brought in agency staff to cover the rounds.
However, earlier this year, the Government made it illegal for agency staff to be used during strikes – and Thursday is the last day agency staff can be used.
Allerdale Waste Services will now employ people on short-term contracts as long as the strikes continue.
Talks have been ongoing throughout the strike action, but the latest, last Thursday with conciliation service ACAS did not result in a breakthrough.
Unite issued a release saying its members would protest outside Allerdale House in Workington today, Thursday August 10.
Allerdale Waste Services said: “We are incredibly disappointed to see that Unite are proposing to hold a demonstration the day after a scheduled meeting with ACAS, ourselves, and Cumberland Council officers.
“By doing this, it would appear that Unite are pre-empting the outcome of the reconciliation meeting, prolonging the strike and have no intentions of coming to any agreement to bring the industrial action to a close.
“The meetings between ACAS are confidential and all parties were instructed to not share any details of the previous meeting yet in Unite’s statement they have breached this agreement, albeit with information that is factually incorrect.
“We can however clarify that the meeting last week was an initial scoping meeting, facilitated by ACAS, to map out and agree how to proceed. It wasn’t a negotiation meeting and for Unite to suggest this is disingenuous.
“Despite the proposed demonstration, we still remain hopeful that the parties can reach a resolution and that our employees can get back to work as soon as possible.”
