Adur and Worthing: Refuse workers set to take strike action

Refuse workers in Adur and Worthing are set to strike next month in a dispute over pay, a union said.

The GMB union said more than 60 of its members working in domestic refuse and recycling will strike from 14 March.

Union officials have given Adur & Worthing Council three weeks to table a suitable pay offer.

A spokesperson for the council said: "We're very disappointed that a small number of our staff have voted to strike."

The strike action will affect 82,000 homes in the local area, according to the GMB.

It comes after similar disputes between councils and refuse workers in Sussex, including in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.

Gary Palmer, a GMB regional organiser, said: "Strike action is always our last resort, but GMB are experienced negotiators and are also very experienced at organising direct action.

"It's up to the officers at Adur & Worthing Council which way they want to play it."

The spokesman for Adur & Worthing Council said: "The GMB has refused to explain to us what the issues of its members are, so we are still unclear as to why the strike has been called and how it can be avoided."

Elsewhere in Sussex, a bin strike in Hastings and Rother has been called off after GMB members agreed a new pay deal of up to 19.5%.

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