WATCH: End to ghastly scenes of mass flytipping in sight as Armagh Banbridge Craigavon council agrees deal to stop binmen strike

A crunch meeting of Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough councillors produced a deal which it is expected will end the industrial action that has left some bins uncollected since mid-August.

Astonishing footage had been circulating online in recent days showing roadsides strewn with dumped waste, and walls of rubbish stretching hundreds of feet lining the outside wall of Fair Green recycling centre in Portadown (recycling centres/dumps were shut as part of the strike).

A walkout has been under way since August 15, involving workers from Unite, Nipsa and the GMB – though following the death of the Queen the unions allowed workers to carry out some “essential” labour.

It has since recommenced though, affecting refuse workers and leisure workers.

With just over 210,000 residents, ABC Council is NI’s biggest after Belfast (with over 340,000), and shortly before 10pm it said an extra £1.5m in annual wages has been agreed, plus another £1.2m in one-off payments, so talks will now begin on suspending the walkout.

Meanwhile, progress has also been made towards a resolution of strike action in Lisburn and Castlereagh Council.

Here is how the council itself describes it:

“The agreement reached will see staff on the bottom six pay scales (Scales 1 to 6) of the organisation re-defined and scales adjusted so that the very lowest paid workers will benefit.

“In addition, these staff will receive a one-off cost of living payment of £500.

“The introduction of these new salary scales will align with the Real Living Wage, therefore improving Council’s ability to attract and retain staff to benefit long-term service delivery.

“In addition, staff currently on S01 - PO6 will have their pay adjusted and staff above PO6 would not receive any adjustment. All staff receiving salaries ranging from SO1 – PO12 will receive a one-off cost of living payment of £1,100.”

LISBURN & CASTLEREAGH:

A strike began by about members of Unite on September 6 in Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council, affecting bin collections, street sweeping, and leisure centres.

The council also said it was facing similar demands from NIPSA and the GMB which went “over and above” what trade unions at a national level were being given (though they gave no exactly figures) – adding that meeting such demands could spell “a significant increase in rates”.

But the strike was suspended days later after The Queen died, and resumed yesterday.

Lisburn and Castlereagh UUP councillor Jim Dillon said that there was a unanimous decision taken at a meeting of the council tonight, telling the council officers how far they were permitted to go in terms of striking a deal.

But he said that, since the meeting was deemed confidential and no press or public could attend, he could not reveal the specific figures they are able to offer.

He said the meeting meant the chief executive and council bosses now have “the freedom to negotiate” with the union reps, because they “were given from us tonight [figures] as to what they can go to”.

Asked if tonight’s decision paves the way for the strike to be called off, he said: “I’d hope so. But I’m not the union.

“If the refuse is not collected, and the street cleansing and things don’t take place, you can know it doesn’t take very long for a place to get in a mess.

“It’s not in a mess at the moment – but will get into a mess if it goes on.”

More from this reporter tonight:

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