The Labour Group have successfully brokered a deal that should allow the Council to resolve the City Clean dispute with staff and the GMB union.

Whilst it remains incumbent on the Green administration and council managers to negotiate with the union to end the bin strike in the interest of residents and businesses, Labour’s amendment at the Special Policy & Resources Committee meeting today has paved the way and given the Council the tools to resolve the industrial dispute.

Labour’s amendment instructed the council’s negotiating team to seek dispensation to urgently address fire safety issues in bin stores, and to immediately bring in third-party support in the form of an independent mediator to help resolve the ongoing dispute.

Cllr John Allcock, Labour’s co-leader of the opposition said:

“I’m really pleased that we have been able to broker a deal that should help the Council negotiate an end to the City Clean dispute that has seen rubbish and recycling piling up on our streets for nine days.

“We have won agreement today for the Council to bring in an independent mediator to help resolve the industrial dispute, and to negotiate for dispensation to address fire safety concerns in bin stores.

“We have given the Green administration the tools to resolve this dispute once and for all, and our suffering residents are depending on them to do so.”