A three-week bin strike in South West London has been called off in just one day after workers won a huge pay rise of up to 17 per cent.
Richmond Council’s waste contractor Serco and the GMB union have reached an agreement after the “surprise” walkout on Monday morning (October 17).
Waste and recycling will now be picked up one day later than scheduled all week in the borough, so the missed collections on Monday can be fitted in.
The council admitted the walkout had come as a surprise as it had believed strike action was off the table after Serco and GMB agreed an improved pay offer on Friday afternoon (October 14).
But the bin workers, who are all GMB members, rejected the offer first thing on Monday morning and a massive 98per cent of members voted to take action.
They said they wanted a pay rise to deal with the current economic climate which is seeing the cost of living soar.
Serco and GMB eventually reached an agreement following negotiations on Monday.
This means waste and recycling services have now resumed in Richmond.
Paul Grafton, regional organiser at GMB, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the workers had won a pay rise of up to 17pc after one day of strike action.
He said loaders won a pay rise of 13pc while drivers secured an increase of 17pc.
He said: “GMB are pleased that the dispute could be resolved after only one day of action.
"The members were never after anything more than a pay rise which reflects the current economic climate.
“With inflation at 9pc, it was vital for these key workers that they receive a pay rise above this, otherwise their pay would be going backwards.
"They are now looking forward to going back to work and providing the brilliant service that the residents of Richmond are used to.”
Council leader Gareth Roberts said: “We are as frustrated as residents that this strike went ahead [on Monday] unexpectedly.
"Negotiations between Serco and GMB on Friday afternoon agreed an enhanced pay offer and it was expected that strike action was off the table.
"However, this was rejected by members in a ballot first thing [on Monday] morning, against GMB’s recommendation.
He added: “Thankfully, with the support of the council, Serco and GMB were able to reach a deal and the impact of this strike action has been minimal.”
Harry Oakley, contract manager at Serco, added: “We are delighted that following further negotiations our enhanced offer has been accepted and the industrial action has been called off.
“As a result of [Monday’s] action, household waste and recycling collections will now take place one day later than scheduled all week.
"We would like to apologise to residents for this disruption and thank them for their patience while our teams catch up.”
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