Sheffield refuse collectors announce three strike days

Discussions between the GMB union and Veolia are due to take place on Thursday

Refuse collectors in Sheffield have said they are to go on strike for three consecutive Fridays in April, in a dispute over pay.

The GMB union said negotiations broke down after its members refused a pay deal made by refuse company Veolia.

Peter Davies from the union said the offer made was "complicated" and was "soundly rejected" by its members.

Veolia said it was committed to finding a resolution.

Mr Davies said the offer was for a 2.5% pay rise, however it was not for all staff and had conditions which members voted not to accept.

He said the union had announced the strike dates for 13, 20 and 27 April to try to get Veolia "back around the negotiating table".

'Very hopeful'

"The last thing we want to do is strike. It's our last resort," said Mr Davies.

He said the union was due to meet with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) alongside Veolia on Thursday.

"We are absolutely committed to resolving this dispute," he said.

"I'm very hopeful that common sense will prevail and we'll get around the table on Thursday and we can get an offer out to the guys which is acceptable."

A spokesperson for Veolia said in a statement: "During this time, we would like to assure residents that we have contingency plans in place to make sure that bins and boxes are emptied as soon as possible.

"Please note that due to these disruptions, the time your containers are emptied may be different to normal and could be much later in the day up to 8pm."