Rugby's bin strikes to continue

Striking workers outside the town hall on the day Rugby's new mayor was elected.

The bin strikes began on April 26 after some of the town’s refuse drivers, loaders and street cleaners who are members of the Unite union voted in favour of action following a pay dispute with national origins.

Initially the union said the strike would last two weeks – but recently extended it until June 15.

On May 17 Rugby council said they had made a new pay offer to the staff.

This offer would see the maximum pay available to drivers to rise to £30,940.

For loaders, this would rise to £24,587 – on the condition that they perform other services once their bin runs have been completed, rather than going home early.

The Unite union branded the offer ‘unacceptable’, and a spokesperson said they would not accept the offer for loaders.

They added: "For this reason the council’s offer is completely unacceptable as it currently stands.”

The union did not wish to go into more detail when this newspaper asked what the council could do to remedy the situation.

Rugby council leader Seb Lowe said: "We are committed to reaching an amicable solution on this.

“We are a public body and absolutely every penny we have is earned by someone else.

"There is a cost of living crisis – I’m not willing to do things that are frivolous with money that other people have earned –and I think most people in Rugby will agree with that.”