East Suffolk bin collectors vote to strike over pay offer

No dates have been set yet for the industrial action and Unison said it was hoping for an improved offer to avoid strikes

Household bin collectors in east Suffolk have voted to go on strike after rejecting a pay offer.

Unison said more than 96% of East Suffolk Norse staff who are union members voted in favour of the walkout on a turnout of 88%.

East Suffolk Council said a "generous" offer had been made which in some cases would see salaries rise by 17%.

But Unison said the offer was "not enough" to cope with the rising cost of living.

No dates had yet been set for industrial action and the union said it was hoping for an improved offer to avoid strikes.

Cameron Matthews, Unison's eastern regional organiser, said: "Refuse workers are desperate to avoid any disruption to the communities they serve, but they can't survive on East Suffolk Norse wages much longer.

"Years of lousy pay deals have left these key workers struggling to pay their bills, especially with the cost of living skyrocketing this year.

"The employer's offer may seem sizeable but pay has been stagnant for so long that it falls short of a decent wage.

"We're not asking for the world, just enough to live on. We urge East Suffolk Council and Norse to come back with a meaningful improvement that rewards the vital jobs these workers do."

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An East Suffolk Council spokesperson said industrial action would be in "nobody's interest" and the residents would "suffer the most". 

"It has been made clear to the unions that not every demand can be met, and we would make the point, once again, that they are not showing a realistic understanding of what is fair and achievable," the council spokesperson added.