Police called to bin strike after picketers ‘block’ lorries
Police had to be called out to deal with disruption on the picket lines today as refuse workers walked out over pay, a council said. Today was the first day of the Blaby bin strikes[1], as member of the GMB union working in the district downed tools.
Blaby District Council[2] has said it was “disappointed” by the action of some on the picket line, which resulted in the police being called to the Whetstone Depot. Bin lorries could not leave the site this morning, the council said, as picketers blocked the entrance. This meant bin crews could not start their rounds, delaying today’s collections. The council said it believed it was the actions of union officials which caused the issues, and not striking workers.
The union told LeicestershireLive[3] its members were simply taking “lawful and legal strike action” as was “their right". It accused the council of being “heavy-handed” in its approach.
Union members are calling for a 15 per cent local pay rise on top of a national offer of £1,925. The 15 per cent would be just under £4,000, Blaby District Council said. Three more walkouts are planned for the following Wednesdays, July 5, 12 and 19.
The council put out a tweet just before 9am this morning asking residents to be patient with it. “Crews are ready and waiting to go out on today’s rounds,” the authority added on its social media page. “However, our vehicles are stuck at the depot due to obstruction by the picket. Police have been called.”
A spokeswoman for Blaby District Council said union bosses had agreed to cease the obstruction at 8am to allow the vehicles to head out. The officials then “moved from the public roadway onto council land by the depot entrance barrier”, the spokeswoman added, until council officers escorted them away, with permission from the police.
She said: “We are disappointed we were forced to call the police to deal with individuals who were preventing our crews from carrying out their normal, daily work. There are rules and codes of conduct on how picket lines should behave and union officials have not followed those codes of conduct in obstructing our vehicles. We understand and acknowledge there is a right to picket but this is to communicate information and peacefully persuade someone to work or not work – not to cause a wilful, physical obstruction preventing employees from doing their job.”
David Warwick, GMB organiser, said: “Our members are taking lawful and legal strike action to defend their pay and conditions. That’s their right. We're disappointed council chiefs decided to act in this heavy-handed manner, but our members will not be deterred. They’re on strike to fight for a pay packet that lets them pay the bills and raise a family, the council should focus on that instead of wasting tax payers money attacking a lawful strike.”
Blaby District Council also announced today that garden waste collections, suspended for this Thursday and Friday,[5] ha ndow been rearranged for Saturday. Residents who usually have their garden waste collected on Thursday or Friday this week are advised to place it out for collection by 6.30am on Saturday, July 1. Where general waste and recycling was due to be collected today, the council said: “If bins are not emptied by 5pm today, crews will return this week to collect refuse on Thursday and recycling on Friday. Please ensure bins are placed at the kerbside by 6.30am.”
References
- ^ bin strikes (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Blaby District Council (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ LeicestershireLive (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ Andrew Bridgen “incited violence” against MPs in accusing them of supporting grooming and mutilation of children (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)
- ^ garden waste collections, suspended for this Thursday and Friday, (www.leicestermercury.co.uk)