No collections as Coventry council rejects bin strike plans

The dispute between Unite and Coventry City Council has lasted for a number of months

Plans for strike action over Christmas for Coventry's refuse workers have been rejected by the council - meaning no bins will be collected on certain days.

A union had proposed working one hour and striking the next, however the council said it would cause "chaos".

Instead, there will be no collections at all in the city on strike days.

Bin lorry drivers voted to take strike action last week amid a dispute over pay and new Christmas working arrangements.

The move means no bins will be collected the week before Christmas and the council expects a disrupted service until 21 January 2022.

'Chaos'

The council said it rejected Unite union proposals because drivers would have to return to the depot for strike action each hour which the authority said would mean "crews would hardly be on the road".

"It would have resulted in an impractical working pattern that in reality would have seen hardly any bins emptied," Andrew Walster, from the council, said.

"The chaos it would have caused means that we have taken the decision to tell the drivers not to work at all during the days they intend to strike."

Bin collection workers, who are not on strike, will be assigned other duties during the action period.