Bin strike suspended after workers accept improved pay deal

A strike by bin workers in Windsor and Maidenhead has been suspended after waste collectors accepted an improved pay offer.

Refuse workers from the GMB union walked out on Wednesday over a dispute with the council’s waste contractors, Serco.

They had called on the company to increase the wages of its waste collectors, with bin loaders earning £9.91 per hour.

Serco announced today that workers from the GMB union had accepted an improved pay offer and agreed to suspend the strike.

A spokesperson for the council’s waste contractor said: “We are delighted that our employees have accepted our enhanced offer and the proposed industrial action has been suspended.

“We would like to thank residents for their patience and apologise for any disruption to collections during this period.”

Earlier today, bin collectors gathered outside Maidenhead’s Household Waste and Recycling Centre to voice their frustrations.

One worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We’re not doing this for a laugh.

“It’s when people are not listening and you’re not getting anywhere and you have to stand up for yourselves at a point.

“Its got to a point where the workers feel, what do you have to lose? £9.91 in this day and age is school leavers’ money.”

The worker told the Advertiser that some of his colleagues have turned to food banks due to a shortfall in cash while some have traded in their cars for e-scooters to save money.

They added: “When Serco took over we’ve gone through various route changes and day changes and we’ve just got on with it.

“It’s pretty much the workforce who have got that up-and-running to get it finetuned so we’re all doing what we’re supposed to be doing and we’re getting no recognition.

“We’re not asking for any more or any less than anyone else. We’re so far behind and we need to get up on an even keel to get up with the rest of them.”

Windsor and Maidenhead council said it could not complete any of the planned refuse, recycling or food waste collections on Wednesday due to ‘significant disruption’.

The local authority said black bin collections, recycling and food waste will return as normal tomorrow (Thursday) but due to the Bank Holiday they will still be a day later than normal.

Residents whose bins were due to be collected on Wednesday should leave them out with the council hoping to collect these by the end of Sunday.

The council has published a list of streets where residents should not put their recycling bins out until Tuesday, September 6.

If you live on one of those streets, you should still put out your refuse and food waste.

See www.rbwm.gov.uk/strike-action-waste-and-recycling-crews for further details.

The Stafferton Way household waste and recycling centre will reopen as normal tomorrow.

Garden waste collections will remain suspended until the end of Friday but subscriptions will be extended to cover this.