First of three weeks of bin strikes cancelled

Strikes by refuse workers planned for next week have been cancelled, a local authority has said.

GMB union members at South Tyneside Council had planned to walk out on Tuesday for three weeks over an ongoing dispute over bullying allegations.

The Labour-led council said the strikes next week have been stood down amid talks, however the remaining two weeks of strike action are still planned to go ahead.

"Discussions will continue, with a view to step down all strike action proposed for July," a council spokesperson said. The GMB has been contacted for comment.

Bin workers in the borough have been involved in several rounds of industrial action since November.

A council spokesperson added: "Now that strike action has been stood down for next week, including any action short of strike, we will move to deliver on an agreed set of actions with the shared ambition to bring about an end to the dispute once and for all."

The council said it had already worked to rebalance collection routes, improve PPE, increase engagement and improve communication.

"It will take some weeks to work through the waste backlog and we hope to have that period of stability to restore the service," a statement added.

Residents are advised to continue putting their grey household bin out every day until it is collected.

The local authority said an independent report into the allegations levelled at its management staff concluded there was "no evidence of bullying or harassment" of staff.

GMB official Mark Wilson previously described the report as flawed.

A separate dispute also arose between the two organisations after one of the GMB's workplace representative was suspended by the council pending an investigation.

The council said the member of staff had been suspended with regard to health and safety issues and the disciplinary action was unrelated to union activity.

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