COVENTRY City Council has denied there are plans to dismiss the striking HGV bin lorry drivers.
The Observer was approached by Unite whose members have been embroiled in a pay dispute with the authority since the start of the year.
The union said it had written to Coventry Council urgently demanding its lead officer confirmed or denied persistent rumours coming from inside the authority that its officials are preparing to issue a 90-day dismissal notice to striking HGV lorry drivers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “I hope the council will quickly move to deny these rumours and will take up our offer and negotiate.”
A spokesperson for Coventry City Council told the Observer: “There are no current plans to issue 90-day dismissal notices to striking HGV lorry drivers and we remain committed to lawfully resolving the issues raised by Unite through negotiation.”
Previously both parties said they would abide by the ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) ruling regardless of the outcome.
ACAS stated the employees’ Grade 5 salaries for the job they did was the correct level and – looking at the process that came to the original decision – said it found it had been ‘undertaken in a fair and open manner’.
Despite that, Unite and its workers have continued the strike action, taking out a fresh mandate to extend the dispute up to next week’s local elections.
The city council enlisted Tom White Waste – a company it owns – to carry out both fortnightly green-lidded bin collections and recycling collections.
