Coventry bin strikes: Union members vote for extension

According to the union, 94% of those voting in a new ballot have backed an extension of strikes

Strikes by bin workers are set to continue into the summer after a vote to extend the action.

About 75 bin lorry drivers in Coventry have been staging an all-out strike in the city since 31 January in a stand-off with the council over pay.

A mandate for the current action was due to end on 23 March but union Unite said 94% of drivers who took part in a fresh ballot had voted to renew it.

The city council has been approached for comment.

The dispute has turned increasingly bitter in recent months, with the union and council criticising each other's claims about drivers' pay.

Last week, the council said arbitration service Acas had agreed with its pay grades, and believed both the authority and Unite would be bound by the terms.

However, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the process had been "based on an old, discredited job evaluation system".

Drop-off sites have been operating to deal with waste during the strike

Ms Graham said of the ballot result: "Rank incompetence and a catalogue of failures by Coventry Council mean this strike will continue into the summer.

"The dispute could have been easily settled with capable council leaders," she added, accusing the authority of refusing to attend a single meeting with Unite.

The council previously said its drivers were among the best paid in the West Midlands and strikes should be "called off immediately".

During the strike action the council has delivered several temporary sites for residents to drop off waste.

Council-owned private contractor Tom White Waste has also been used to collect rubbish.

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