Strikes: Union has ‘grave concerns for public safety’ and invites all Wrexham councillors to open meetings next week
Unite the Union have said the council have told them they ‘do not wish’ for any striking worker to take part in gritting and winter maintenance work, something the union say raises ‘grave concerns’.
Union members are campaigning for a ‘fair’ pay deal with the local authority. The union, which has staged industrial action since the start of September, is calling on the council for a fair pay rise after “enduring years of wage stagnation.”
The current round of strikes is expected to continue until the end of November. However Unite has warned of a winter of action as part of their campaign for a fair pay deal.
The new letter to councillors also references our story from yesterday about the council’s Chief Executive Ian Bancroft taking up an offer of a speaking engagement in North America, “We have been left dismayed at what appears to be a complete lack of interest in resolving the strike. Given this and despite the Chief Executive seeing a trip to New York being of higher importance we are still committed to finding a resolution.”
Yesterday we pointed Wrexham Council to an apparent read out of meetings this week that has been circulated on social media, that details a ‘tabled offer’ – plus a meeting planned for this morning. We asked the council if it was real and if any statement could be forwarded.
The council have not replied.
It is believed all councillors have been sent the below letter and have been invited to two open meetings on Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening.
The letter to councillors is below:
Dear Councillor
Even before Unite members at Wrexham CBC stepped foot on the first picket lines back on the 4th September, Unite had urged Wrexham CBC to meet with us to avert pending strike action. This open and genuine call was not responded to for 4 weeks. Despite numerous attempts to encourage talks the authority continually hid behind a narrative that this is a national dispute and there is nothing they could do. Again, despite further attempts to highlight the facts that Unite members at Wrexham CBC were balloted on the national pay award and localised issues issues that can only be resolved by Ian Bancroft. At every opportunity we have tried to call attention to this and have continually prompted the authority to get around the table and talk.
Sadly, we are now 6 weeks in and are no further forward to finding a resolution than we were in week 1. Our members whilst committed to the next 6 weeks of industrial action and further, if necessary, we remain fully focused on finding a resolution which will be acceptable to a majority of our members.
We do not wish to see this strike dragging on into the New Year.
To date we have been given up just 2 hours for discussions with Unite, we find 120 minutes of time allocated for talks insulting to not just our members but to Wrexham residents as a whole. We have been left dismayed at what appears to be a complete lack of interest in resolving the strike. Given this and despite the Chief Executive seeing a trip to New York being of higher importance we are still committed to finding a resolution.
Unite believes that it should not be accepted that our essential public service workers are ignored and continue to be paid salaries significantly lower than their neighbouring authority workers at Flintshire County Council. Our members live in Wrexham and are your constituents, they and their families want their bins collecting and their homes repaired in a timely manner like every other resident. We do not believe our members should be working for poverty pay, and currently there has not been a single proposal brought forward by Wrexham CBC.
As of today (Thursday 12th October) we now have grave concerns for public safety in the county, Unite had given Wrexham CBC exemptions for striking members to take part in gritting and winter maintenance to protect the public should weather conditions dictate the need, Wrexham CBC today have said they do not wish for any striking worker to take part in such an essential service.
With this in mind, and in the spirit of transparency we are scheduling two open meetings where we invite Wrexham Councillors to attend. This meeting will be a chance for councillors to be briefed on the time scale of events to date, and also highlight what we believe a resolution would look like.
We strongly encourage all councillors to attend.
Yesterday the council announced that those who pay to have their garden waste emptied will have their subscription extended to February 2025, while warning that garden waste collections may not take place until next February as it manages resources for the winter months.
(Top pic: As previously documented, the union has been leafletting specific wards in Wrexham)
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