Refuse collectors in Eden will continue to strike for two more weeks as talks with their bosses continue.
Members of the GMB union decided to take industrial action over pay and declared they would walk out for two weeks. The union has now announced another 14 days of action.
Urbaser, which has the contract for refuse collection, said it had been proactive in conducting negotiations with GMB through the week.
As the first week of ongoing strike action at the Eden depot comes to a close, Urbaser are committed to keeping residents informed about the situation and its impact on their waste collection services.
Andy Turner, operations manager at Urbaser, said: “In our bid to resolve the ongoing strike, we’ve met the majority of the union’s initial demands, but we do have to find the right resolution for all parties.
“It is therefore with a mix of disappointment and concern that we note the rejection of our enhanced offer, leading to the unfortunate extension of the strike action.”
Urbaser said the vast majority of waste had been collected or would be collected during the week.
However, it added: “Efforts to maintain operations have been hampered by union members blocking access routes to their vehicles, necessitating police intervention on multiple occasions.
Mr Turner added: “Urbaser are committed to the standards and guidelines outlined in the UK Government’s Code of Practice on Picketing. While our team at Urbaser are making every effort to observe those standards and guidelines, it’s very disheartening to observe that some union members appear to be disregarding the same standards and guidelines aimed at ensuring peaceful picketing.
“We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all the workers who have supported us in maintaining operations amidst these very challenging scenarios. A big thank you also goes out to members of the public who have shown their support.”
Urbaser said its team would continue to deploy all available resources to manage the situation effectively, but given the ongoing challenges, residents should brace themselves for more disruptions to services in the coming weeks.
