Industrial action affecting blue bag refuse collections in Eden looks set to enter a second month.
On Monday, around 20 striking employees of Urbaser voted unanimously to stay out until November 10, a GMB union rep told the Herald.
The strike, involving issues such as pay, conditions and weekend rates, had been due to finish on October 27.
It also involves union members in street cleansing teams, such as emptying public waste bins and cleaning public toilets, and those who clean at council-owned properties such as Penrith’s Mansion House.
It was understood that online talks were taking place today, involving the two sides in dispute and mediators the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitrary Service (ACAS).
In a statement released by Urbaser today, it said the strike action was going to continue.
Andy Tuer, regional operations manager, said: “Urbaser Ltd has been informed by the GMB Union that they intend to extend their strike action at our Eden depot for a further consecutive two weeks.
“While the strike continues, we remain committed to ensuring minimal disruption to our services and customers. As long as we can deploy our vehicles without any hindrance, we will continue to allocate resources on a daily basis.
“Consequently, our guidance to residents remains the same: please continue to place your blue bags out for collection according to your usual schedule. In the event that your bag is not collected by the end of the day, if it’s safe to do so, kindly leave it in its place, and we will aim to have it collected the following day.
“We would like to offer residents our reassurance that we are making every possible effort to reinitiate productive conversations with the GMB Union, and we extend our sincere thanks to residents for their continued patience.”
Urbaser delivers the general refuse contract for Westmorland and Furness Council, with Eden Council contracting out the service around 30 years ago.
Striking workers told the Herald that they had been buoyed by public support, with people taking along donations to the picket line in Old London Road and offering supportive beeps or waves while passing by.
A striker said: “We would really like to thank the public for all their support.
“We really care about our environment and it’s not just a job to us.”
Mr Hall added: “We’re at the point now where we are needing the council to step in and bring these services back in-house.”
He said the company was trying to break the resolve of strikers by bringing in teams from outside of the area to deliver services, at great financial cost.
