Council services in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area to be crippled by four week strike

The strike, which will completely wipe out bin collections, begins on Monday and the GMB and Unite unions are prepared to strike for four weeks.

NIPSA members meanwhile will effectively wipe out council services by striking on Monday before returning to action short of a strike on Tuesday.

It comes as another strike is looming in Ards and North Down, and strike action by Unite members is affecting bin collections continues in Mid Ulster.

In the ABC council area the GMB, Unite and NIPSA unions said that pay talks with management failed to address the cost of living crisis being faced by members.

The ABC walkout was due to begin on Wednesday but was paused to allow for last-ditch efforts at averting all-out strike action.

It is the first time all three unions have gone on strike in the council area at the same time.

Alan Perry of the GMB said: “As far as we’re concerned management were given until 10am this morning to come up with any potential offers.

“There’s been nothing on the table so the industrial action commences on Monday morning.

“All services will be affected, right across the board, from refuse, planning, environmental, leisure – everything.

“There will be no bins lifted at all.

“As we’ve already said, we don’t want to be in this position, but unfortunately the solution lies with management and as yet they haven’t come up with one.

“Until such times our members will be taking part in industrial action.

Mr Perry added: “This will be the first time since the formation of the council that all three unions have been out.

“At this moment in time it will be lasting a minimum of four weeks.

“It will be a complete shut down across the board. The union density within the council is around 80%.”

The GMB union rep said that there is also a ballot for strike action in Ards and North Down involving all three unions, which closes the week after next.

NIPSA’s Kevin Kelly said: “On Monday all trade unions are out. After that GMB and Unite are staying out for the following weeks.

“NIPSA members are going to take action short of strike action for the next four weeks. That will mean there will be a restricted services in the likes of leisure centres, town halls and so forth.

“What will stay out totally throughout the strike is the likes of bins, refuse collections, amenity sites: they will be closed by GMB and Unite members for four weeks.

“We’re going to keep the public services open as much as we can. It will be a restricted service, but it’s to give management a bit of breathing space to [do] something.

“If they don’t, then NIPSA will address that situation the following week.”

ABC council confirmed the strike would be taking place from Monday.

In a message to ratepayers a spokesperson said: “It is with regret we must inform you that the three trade unions – NIPSA, GMB, and Unite – have issued council with notification of strike action commencing Monday, August 15.

“We regret the inconvenience this will cause and we will keep you informed of the impact on services.”

A further period of localised industrial action by Unite began in Mid Ulster on Monday, July 25 and is due to continue until Sunday, August 21.

The council questioned rejection of the offer, saying “the local proposal in Mid Ulster is by far the most generous currently on offer from any council in Northern Ireland”.

The strike is mostly affecting bin collections, though the council said that every day they are collecting between 40% and 50% of bins.

They said: “This week (w/c August 8) and last week we have been able to empty hundreds of additional bins which we hadn’t reached previously.

“We aim to continue this approach, adding extra capacity where we can, and so we are asking our residents to continue to leave their bins out on their normal collection days.”