Coventry bin strike: Workers vote for further action

A bitter dispute led to a six-month strike in 2022

A second group of workers on Coventry's bin lorries has voted in favour of strikes in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The Unite union said nearly three-quarters of the loaders who empty bins had voted for strikes and other industrial action short of strikes.

They join lorry drivers for the city council, who have already voted for action.

The Labour-controlled authority said it was "frustrated" by the vote.

The dispute concerns "task and finish" working practices, which allow crews to go home early once their scheduled work is done.

The city council had said it was "absolutely non-negotiable" that the practice must end.

It has given rise to equal pay claims, because the male-dominated refuse service benefitted from the arrangement while female members of staff in other council departments did not.

Unite's Sharon Graham said the union would not accept attacks on the working conditions of members who worked through "heatwaves and hailstorms"

Calling the vote a "wake-up call" for Coventry City Council, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "There is now a short window of opportunity to prevent industrial action before the workers announce a winter of strikes."

The authority said that while it respected workers' right to strike, it was frustrated as no decision had yet been made on changing their terms and conditions.

It added that it hoped collections would continue despite any action, as only a small proportion of crew members belonged to Unite.

"Our focus now is on ensuring we can continue to provide a bin collection service across the city," it said.

The dispute follows a six-month strike at the start of 2022, which ended when drivers accepted a 12.9 per cent pay rise.

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