Newry, Mourne and Down Council to be hit by industrial action
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Services at one of Northern Ireland's largest councils are set to be affected by industrial action over the next two weeks.
Hundreds of workers at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have begun working to rule.
Four trades unions - Siptu, Nipsa, Unite and GMB - have confirmed the move.
The action comes after staff and management failed to reach an agreement over pay and conditions.
The council said it hoped negotiations with the unions, facilitated by the Labour Relations Agency, would resume in August.
It said there will be no missed bin collection service operating until 30 July, and added that while household recycling centres remained open, there will be some impact on opening times.
The council said, external the "opening and servicing of public toilets in the district may be affected" and that further updates would be provided on its website and social media channels.
In a joint statement, the four unions said the action was likely to have a significant effect on services, including leisure centres and bin collections.
Union spokesperson Kevin Kelly said members of the four unions had lost confidence in management.
"They are asking our lowest-paid members to take pay cuts during a cost-of-living crisis. They are making staff redundant and offering severance packages while at the same time they are recruiting staff into similar positions," Mr Kelly said.
"They need to know this will not be tolerated by our members and we will take whatever action is required to ensure our members suffer no further hardship than already faces all workers at this time."
Two weeks of action
The council has issued a statement confirming the industrial action is due to last for two weeks.
"Each of the four recognised trade unions in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have notified their intention to induce members to take industrial action short of a strike for two weeks between Monday 17 July and Sunday 30 July (inclusive)," the statement read.
The council said officials had held regular meetings with union representatives and that council management was committed to a resolution.
"Negotiations continue, again facilitated by the Labour Relations Agency, which is liaising with both parties to agree a further meeting date in early August," the council statement added.