Industrial action is looming over Somerset Council's waste services, as some of the county's waste collection crews, represented by the Unite union, plan to initiate industrial action on Wednesday, 12 July.

The council has been preparing for this potential disruption by creating contingency plans to limit the impact on Somerset residents.

Despite continuous talks to resolve the dispute, the likelihood of industrial action has grown and could cause widespread and significant disruption, affecting the majority of residents in one way or another. The proposed action is a result of unsuccessful annual pay negotiations with Suez UK, the council's collections contractor.

A 5.8% increase initially offered by Suez UK was rejected by the union, leading to a ballot in favour of industrial action amongst Unite members. A subsequent offer of an 8% increase from Suez has also been turned down.

The proposed strike action is set to occur from Wednesday to Friday each week over a four-week period from 12 July to 4 August. On non-strike days, union members will refrain from working overtime or engaging in catch-up collections, for example, on Saturdays.

During the period of industrial action, priority will be given to three-weekly refuse collections, clinical waste collections, and collections from communal locations. However, the council has stated that there is no guarantee that these collections will take place on time.

Recycling collections will likely be significantly impacted as their crews are redeployed to support the other prioritised collections. The scheduling of the industrial action implies that some residents could go multiple weeks without recycling collections. The effect on garden waste collections remains unknown at this stage.

Beyond the days of industrial action, the disruption will likely continue, as crews will have to handle the extra, accumulated waste when collections restart.

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Mickey Green, Somerset Council's Executive Director for Climate and Place, emphasised the ongoing negotiations and the council's hope for a swift resolution:

"Talks are ongoing, and we very much hope that industrial action can be avoided or resolved quickly. We know cost of living pressures are affecting everyone, including waste collection crews, but this action would have a big impact on residents across the county. We will continue to support Suez as it works to resolve the dispute, assisting where we can. If action is taken, we will make as many collections as possible, but some services will have to be prioritised at the expense of others and we would ask for the public's patience."

Should the industrial action take place, residents are encouraged to visit Somerset Council's website for the latest information about service disruptions and advice on managing waste when collections are delayed: somerset.gov.uk/waste.