Causeway Coast and Glens council staff are to strike from midnight tonight (Wednesday, September 7) over pay.
Following a vote during Tuesday evening’s full council meeting — which is understood to have seen a majority of Councillors reject accepting the current union demand for council workers’ pay increase — unite the union have now called for strike action.
If this strike action goes ahead, it will have a negative effect on several council services, including this weekend’s NI Air Show event in Portstewart.
Causeway Council have said: “Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council wants to advise residents that further industrial action is planned by Unite the Union.
“The Union has announced that a strike will commence at 00:01 hours on 8thSeptember 2022. Please note that this is a continuous strike with no end date.
“The strike action relates to a dispute over 2021-2022 pay which is negotiated nationally by the National Joint Council (NJC) on behalf of councils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
“Further to this, Council has been negotiating locally with trade unions, which led to the matter being discussed at last night’s Full Council meeting (Tuesday 6thSeptember 2022). Members were unable to reach agreement and therefore strike action will now proceed.
“Residents should be aware that some Council services may be disrupted. The main areas which may be affected are waste collection, Household Recycling Centres, and street cleansing.
“While no bin collections can be guaranteed during the strike period, residents are asked to leave their bins out for collection on their normal day and they will be emptied where there are sufficient crews to deliver a service.
“If bins are not emptied, residents are asked to take their bins back in from the kerbside and place them out again on their next scheduled collection day during the strike.
“We are once again asking all householders to make full use of their blue and brown bins to recycle as much waste as possible to maximise bin capacity.
“Leisure Centres may also be affected by this action, so please check your facility’s opening hours before attending.
“The situation will be kept under review and we would ask residents to check our social media channels and website for any further updates.
“The Council deeply regrets that strike action is taking place and the impact this will have on residents.
“The Council remains fully committed to finding a resolution through on-going discussions with Trade Unions with a view to full service provision resuming as soon as possible. “
