Kirklees bin workers to take 'indefinite' strike action

Bin collectors in Kirklees are set to strike indefinitely from the start of October

Bin collectors in West Yorkshire have voted in favour of indefinite strike action in a row with a council over claims of bullying and harassment.

It is part of a dispute in Kirklees over claims some workers have been refused leave to help dying relatives or sick children.

The union Unison said the industrial action would start from 1 October.

Kirklees Council said it was "extremely disappointed" and claimed it had addressed concerns of workers.

About 25 Unison members took part in the ballot, voting unanimously in favour of the walkout.

Bin workers previously walked out for a week in July.

Union chiefs claimed complaints about bullying and unmanageable workloads had not been dealt with by the authority.

They have called for the council to employ an "adequate" number of bin collectors and arrange manageable bin rounds so staff can use their holiday allowances.

In a statement, the council said it had been "working well" with the union to "address all of their concerns, and action all 16 recommendations agreed with them" by the end of September, and that it was "at a loss to understand why action would be announced now".

It claimed "no leave requests have been refused since the agreement was reached" and "a number of matters have been resolved" following an independent investigation into bullying and harassment reports.

"We have received no further reports of any issues."