More Coventry bin strikes announced by union

Nineteen further strike dates have been announced by Unite, representing the bin lorry drivers

Bin strikes in Coventry look set to last into at least March as the Unite union announced dates for further industrial action.

Bin lorry drivers are calling for improved wages with the union labelling their current rates as "poverty pay".

Unite said it had become an "increasingly bitter" dispute.

For its part Coventry City Council hit out on Wednesday against what it described as "blatant inaccuracies" on the part of the union.

Unite has in turn disputed some of the detail in the council's claims and announced 19 further strike dates for January, February and March.

They are expected to involve about 70 drivers, the union said, who are currently into the second day of a four-day walk out.

Strike dates

• January: 18, 21, 26 and 28

• February: 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23 and 25

• March: 2, 5, 9, 11, 16, 19 and 23

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the Labour-run council "should be joining with the union to fight the scourge of poverty pay and ending the need to work excessive hours to make ends meet".

Instead the union said there had been a "total failure" on the part of the council "to enter into meaningful negotiations".

Unite regional officer Simon O'Keefe accused the council of escalating tensions

Unite said its members deserved more than the starting salary of £22,183.

On Wednesday, the council disputed that figure and said drivers were paid on average £34,143, with pay ranging from £28,148 to £52,163.

Returning fire on Thursday, Unite said those figures involved overtime of up to 50 hours a week and accused the local authority of "increasingly intemperate and widely inaccurate public statements".

'Rising tensions'

Unite regional officer Simon O'Keefe said: "This dispute is entirely of the council's own making.

"Rather than seek a negotiated settlement and ending low pay, the council seems more interested in sending out ever more bizarre communications, which are simply rising tensions."

The council said it was one of the best-paying local authorities in the West Midlands for the Class II HGV drivers and its hands were tied legally without incurring equal pay claims.

It said it had also sought to include independent conciliation service Acas in talks.

Andrew Walster, the Director for Street Services for Coventry City Council said: "At the top end of the pay scale we are one of the higher paying, if not the highest paying authority in the West Midlands."

"We will continue to work with the trade union to find a suitable and legal solution to this problem.

"In the meantime we will do everything we can to make sure people can get rid of their waste in the city."

Four temporary waste collection points have been set up around the city to help people get rid of their rubbish.