Union says poll shows residents want council to reach bin strike settlement

A MAJOR union has commissioned a survey which revealed that 92% of Coventry residents say solving the bin strike dispute should be prioritised by Coventry City Council.

Union Unite say a 77% majority of locals want the council to reach a pay settlement to end the dispute, including 86 per cent of people who voted Labour in the 2019 General Election.

It was found that 67 per cent of residents believe the drivers’ call to be paid the market rate for their jobs, similar to that paid to the drivers in nearby Birmingham, is a ‘reasonable’ one. Just 23 per cent of residents say such a rate would be unreasonable.

The union commissioned a survey by pollsters Survation, who interviewed 528 residents of the Coventry Council online.

The union say the poll is a “stark warning” to councillors, as it also revealed that most residents aged over 55, the cohort most likely to turnout in the forthcoming elections, have an unfavourable opinion of the Labour Council.

A majority of 35-54-year-olds also share this view, according to Unite.

Residents aged between 18 and 34, an age group with a lower comparable voter turnout, had a more favourable view.

The union claims locals delivered an “unequivocal message” to council leader George Duggins.

It was found that 77 per cent of residents believe that he should personally attend meetings to assist in resolving the dispute.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “It’s quite clear that the people of Coventry are well and truly fed up with the council’s conduct during this dispute.

“Overwhelmingly, they say that the council should settle this dispute as a priority, and they back the drivers’ reasonable demand to be paid the rate for the job.

“Only a foolish council would ignore such clear and direct instructions from their own residents.

“These calls are being made by the people who pay the wages of council leader George Duggins. So he should respect their wishes and solve this dispute. It’s not complicated, just pay the rate, as they do in Birmingham, and get these drivers back to work.”

Seventy HGV drivers have been on an all-out strike since January as they remain in a bitter dispute with the council over low pay. Unite say the workers’ basic rate of pay begins at £22,183 per annum which they claim is below the pay rates of neighbouring councils.

HGV drivers will be taking to the streets of Coventry today as they stage a march and rally outside the Coventry Council House at 11am.