THE union involved in an ongoing bin strike have accused the council of "prolonging the agony of residents" as talks last night failed to reach agreement.

Negotiations between Brighton and Hove City Council and representatives of the GMB union went on for hours yesterday in an effort to resolve the continuing dispute over working conditions and pay.

On Twitter, the Sussex branch of the GMB claim a deal was "on the table" at 6.25pm yesterday evening, but say it was taken away by the council's chief executive and his team.

They said: "We are ready to settle, they are prolonging the agony of residents. We can end this now. The ball is in their court."

The latest news comes as residents of Brighton and Hove endure day 12 of industrial action, with rubbish piling high across the city.

The first fortnight of strike action is due to end next week. However, residents will then face the prospect of a five week long walk out, starting from next Thursday (October 21).

Should an agreement not be reached by both sides, industrial action will continue until November 25, although the GMB have claimed their ballot of members allows them to continue strike action for up to six months.

The council have been approached for comment.

Why is the GMB on strike?

Refuse workers have been in an ongoing dispute with the council over unilateral imposed daily changes and the removal of drivers from long-standing rounds without notice.

The GMB claims that changes in driver duties, crew variations and alterations in plans around the collection of dropped work has had a “detrimental impact” on the health and wellbeing of HGV drivers.

GMB branch secretary Mark Turner said that the dispute was avoidable and has been the result of the council’s own making.

He said: “They have been told time and time again about the service issues and detriment to our members’ health and wellbeing resulting around tinkering with well-established rounds and moving of HGV drivers outside of their own council formal procedures, yet they ignored our members and workplace reps’ complaints allowing it to go on anyway.”

A council spokesman said that the pandemic and a national shortage of HGV drivers have created pressure within the Cityclean service and that there have been occasions where it has felt “appropriate to make crew changes or move a member of staff from one round or crew to another” to provide the best service for the city.

“We believe these requests are made openly and fairly and any concerns about round changes are quickly responded to by managers,” he said.

In a ballot last month with an almost 80 per cent turnout, 100 per cent of members voted in favour of industrial action.

GMB branch manager Mark Turner said that the decision to strike is not one taken lightly.

Mr Turner said: “Members don’t take action lightly - they’re not being paid.

“That’s how determined they are and that’s how angry they are.”

54 refuse and lorry drivers are currently taking part in the walk out.

What services are affected?

Household and communal bin waste, along with recycling services, are affected by the strike action, as well as garden and trade waste services.

The council’s street cleansing team are unaffected.

What should I do with my rubbish?

The council advises that you double or triple bag any refuse or rubbish you have and leave it outside your green wheelie bin.

If you live in an area with a communal bin area, like a block of flats, they say you should store your waste at home if possible. However, if it is not possible to store rubbish in your home any longer, the council says to double or triple bag any rubbish and place it at a communal bin.

For recycling, residents are advised to flatten boxes, minimise waste and store it at home.

The council’s household waste recycling sites, in Old Shoreham Road, Hove and Wilson Avenue, Brighton, currently remain open throughout the strike taking recycling.

How long will it take for the service to return to normal when the strike ends?

It remains unknown when the dispute will be resolved and the council admits that there will be up to weeks of continued disruption to collection services after the strike comes to the end, as it will take considerable time to “catch up.”

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