Council leaders call for an end to summer long bin strike

The leaders of South Gloucestershire Council have written an open letter to the union and Suez after it emerged a strike affecting bin collections could last all summer.

Staff from Suez have said they will strike until September in a dispute over wage increases.

Around 150 Suez workers Unite have gone on strike in the ongoing dispute over pay, having rejected an eight per cent wage increase.

The move has meant the council has had to implement special measures to ensure that rubbish is collected from businesses and homes.

In the latest move the co-leader of the authority have sent a letter to Suez and the striking waste workers.

The council is being run by a Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition following May’s local elections.

Co-leaders of the council Claire Young and Ian Boulton have signed the letter.

The letter reads: “We are calling upon both Unite and SUEZ to explain what actions have been taken to date to settle the industrial action and to set out how you will resolve the dispute between yourselves.

“The collection and recycling of waste in South Gloucestershire is delivered through a 25-year private finance initiative (PFI) contract, which is due to end in July 2025​.

“We believe that residents are owed a clear explanation of your actions to date as well as the details of how you are seeking to resolve the dispute, so that waste services can return to normal, and we can continue the collective effort and do even better.

“We look forward to receiving your response and for the avoidance of doubt we will publish this for residents.”