Half of work-to-rule staff 'set to give up their protest'

Published on Monday 19 October 2009 10:03

NEARLY half of the council workers currently on a work-to-rule are set to return to normal work, according to council chiefs.

In the first sign of real progress on the bin dispute, the city council says it has made a formal offer to its 274 street cleaners, who have been taking part in an industrial action with bin men for nearly four months.

It is also hopeful that it can reach similar agreements with gravediggers and other workers within days.

If talks continue as planned, council leader Jenny Dawe said an agreement could be reached within a week.

The progress has come after non-refuse staff took part in a series of focus groups, where they thrashed out details on shift patterns, terms and conditions with managers. Trade unions are not thought to have been involved in the talks.

It has also emerged that 10 refuse collectors have now volunteered to take part in focus groups. The council say that they are the first refuse collectors to agree to take part in the groups, although individual bin men claim they have not been invited.

Cllr Dawe said: "I know the dispute seems to have rumbled on for such a long time but, as well as the union and council officer interaction, there have also been much more fruitful discussions between the workers themselves and services for communities managers through focus groups.

"With street cleaners, all that is awaited now is their formal response to what has been negotiated in the focus groups.

"These things do take time, and I have had my fingers burnt in the past when things have not progressed in quite the way that was expected, but street cleaners and grave diggers are now in a position where we hope to have a good end within a week."

The formal agreement was put to the 274 street cleaners at the end of last week after lengthy discussions in the focus groups.

They are among 597 manual workers who have been on the work-to-rule since the end of June.

Progress is also expected with the 30 toilet attendants and 32 'specialist services' workers soon. However, many of the 261 refuse collectors are still thought to be a long way from agreement.

Cllr Dawe said: "Refuse has proved more difficult.

"There is a small core that have not spoken to us but if we reach a situation that 80 per cent staff are if not happy then certainly accepting of the position, that is good progress. From our point of view, the agreement proposed (to street cleaners) delivers what we want to deliver. I hope that we are nearing a compromise situation that suits everyone."

However, Labour councillor Gordon Munro said: "They need to sit down with the union representatives. They represent the views of all of the workforce.

"They can have all the focus groups in the world but it won't lead to a full conclusion on this thorny issue."

Nobody from the union Unite could be contacted for comment.