Councillor John Allcock, Joint leader of the opposition, writes about the bin strike crisis and the lessons that can be learned for the Green Party, in Brighton and Hove News.

“I am very pleased that a deal has been struck to end the bin strike. After weeks of rubbish and recycling piling up in the streets, with residents suffering, it was a relief all round that a resolution to the dispute was finally found.”

“I have been open about the fact that the dispute never should have dragged on this long – and about the fact that the Green administration should have resolved it long before it got to the point of strike action.”

“The last Labour administration avoided strike action in 2019 by keeping lines of communication open and working hard with both unions and managers to find solutions.”

“When Labour left office there was a clear plan in place to address the underlying issues at Cityclean, recruit a senior industrial relations officer and implement a long-term solution.”

“We are disappointed that this plan seems to have been abandoned. So, we need a commitment from the administration to find a long-term solution.”

“This deal is a real positive step for the council. However, the strike could and should have been avoided, and serious lessons must be learned by the Green administration regarding their handling of this debacle.”

To read Councillor Allcock’s full article, click here.

Photo credit: Creative Commons.