Unison warns East Suffolk bin workers could go out on strike unless 'poverty pay' is addressed

Bin workers in East Suffolk could go out on strike if a council does not offer a swift pay rise, a trade union has warned.

Unison has revealed that staff at East Suffolk Norse have already voted in favour of action should bosses not put an end to 'poverty pay'.

The union has said the workers will move to a formal industrial action ballot - which gauges interest in taking part in a strike - should sufficient changes not be made.

It said many bin workers earn barely above minimum wage and struggle to make ends meet.

Staff at Norse reportedly asked for a pay rise, which would bring the lowest paid workers to over £12 an hour, but have yet to hear back.

According to Government data, salaries for bin workers range from £17,000 to £25,000.

Unison representative Tyler Wythe said: “East Suffolk Norse doesn’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation we’re in.

“Some of us are forced to rely on family or friends for housing, food banks to eat and loans to pay the bills. We can’t go on like this.

“The last thing any of us want is to strike and cause disruption to East Suffolk residents but we’ve run out of options to make the employers listen.”

A spokesperson for East Suffolk Council said it is working with union representatives regarding pay and 'working to a timetable which has been agreed by all parties'.

They added: “We are therefore surprised by the timing of this statement from Unison, not least because we feel that discussions to date have been positive and amicable.

"Union representatives are aware that we will shortly be presenting an offer to them and we have been given no reason to believe that there are any concerns about the direction this process is taking.”