Sheffield bin workers walk out in 24-hour strike action over pay

There could be further strikes if a deal is not reached with Veolia, the GMB union says

Refuse workers in Sheffield have walked out in a 24-hour industrial action in a row over pay.

Strike action started at 06:00 BST on Wednesday affecting bin collections in Mosborough, Halfway, Southey Green, Foxhill and S6 postcode areas.

The GMB union said its members wanted a 2% pay rise this year but the employer was only offering 1.5% over two years.

Veolia said it was disappointed with the move and believed its "offer of 3% over a two year period is fair".

It is the second strike held by workers this year. In April, a 24-hour strike was staged over "aggressive" management practices.

'Very, very angry'

The company, which runs waste management for Sheffield City Council, said it was "working hard to minimise any disruption" and asked residents to put their bins out as normal.

Peter Davies, from the union, said: "The workers feel very, very angry. We've been fighting for this pay rise since January."

He added further strikes could follow if a deal was not reached.

Debbie Doohan, general manager of Veolia in Sheffield, said: "We have worked hard to try and resolve this dispute having had numerous meetings with the GMB and have involved ACAS.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this strike may cause to residents and will do our best to get the services back to normal as soon as possible."

The firm said extra crews would be working at the weekend to complete any missed collections.

Councillor Bryan Lodge said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and we are working closely with Veolia so that this dispute can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion as quickly as possible."