Coventry bin strike: Council appeals to drivers on eve of action

A council leader has appealed to bin lorry drivers to suspend months of strike action due from Monday.

The dispute in Coventry is escalating amid a row over drivers' pay that has been ongoing since December.

Coventry City Council and union Unite met with conciliatory service Acas last week, with the council asking for strikes to be suspended until the outcome of Acas' findings.

Unite said action could be halted if the council tabled acceptable pay.

"I would appeal to driver colleagues not to go ahead with the strike because we are in a position where Acas are yet to come to a conclusion," council leader George Duggins said.

Acas has been asked to find a compromise on the issue of wages and a decision could be made this week, but the two sides remain at odds over the introduction of new Christmas rotas.

From Monday, workers are set to strike for their full working week until the end of March, disrupting rubbish collections. Some residents in Coventry have not had their waste collected for up to five weeks already.

The council was criticised for hiring agency workers to drive bin trucks during the dispute, with Unite accusing them of undermining the strike action and paying the contractors more than their own staff.

Mr Duggins said the authority had "a responsibility to deliver a service for the people of the city one way or another".

In an appeal to drivers, Mr Duggins said: "I'd ask them to reconsider the action they're taking, I'd ask them to return to work and I'd ask they provide the services the people of this city want and deserve."

Frank Keogh, from Unite, said: "If an offer is made to Unite, we can put that offer to our members and if our members accept that offer, the strike action could be withheld."

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