Unison bin workers vote overwhelmingly in favour of strike action against East Suffolk Council over 'poverty pay'

Refuse workers in east Suffolk have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action to fight for a living wage, a union has said.

Unison said 96 per cent of bin workers for East Suffolk Norse, part of East Suffolk Council, agreed to down tools with an 88 per cent turn-out.

A date for the walk-out has not been confirmed, and Unison hopes the council will improve its offer to avoid strikes.

East Suffolk Norse offered a £1,925 rise to directly-employed local government staff, as well as an additional 75p an hour, but the union said base pay is so low the pay-rise will still leave workers struggling.

Bin workers noted they want a pay rise to put them in line with refuse workers under different authorities, as well as contractual sick pay.

Unison said the ballot should be a wake-up call for Norse and the council, showing them they are 'fed up of poverty wages'.

It previously threatened strike action if nothing was done to address poverty pay.

Cameron Matthews, Unison's organiser for the East of England, noted the workers do not want to cause disruptions, but cannot survive on current wages for much longer.

He added: “Years of lousy pay deals have left these key workers struggling to pay their bills, especially with the cost of living sky-rocketing this year. The employer’s offer may seem sizeable but pay has been stagnant for so long that it falls short of a decent wage.

“We’re not asking for the world, just enough to live on. We urge East Suffolk Council and Norse to come back with a meaningful improvement that rewards the vital jobs these workers do.”

An East Suffolk Council spokesman said a generous offer was made to operational staff by Waveney Norse and Suffolk Coastal Norse Ltd, which in some cases would see salaries rise by 17 per cent.

"In addition, a commitment has been made to a full review of terms and conditions, with the possibility of a further productivity-related pay review," he said.

"Everyone is facing cost of living pressures currently, and in these difficult times, we have worked hard to seek a resolution, in good faith.

"Industrial action would be in nobody’s interest and it will be our customers, who rely on these services, that will suffer the most.

"It has been made clear to the unions that not every demand can be met, and we would make the point, once again, that they are not showing a realistic understanding of what is fair and achievable."