A trade union has warned that an 'indefinite walkout' of council workers in Derry is an option without an improved pay offer. The warning comes as council services at Derry City and Strabane District Council will be disrupted due to strike action from July 18 for four weeks.
Unite Union said that the action was being taken due to council management providing no additional consolidated pay increase, leaving workers "unprotected from surging inflation".
It's understood that DCSDC's latest offer for workers was a £1000 one-off payment to 'try and help with the cost-of-living crisis'. The offer was firmly rejected, says Unite representatives. General Secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham said that workers 'deserved to receive a cost of living improvement that reflected price rises'.
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The council strike is likely to impact the waste collection and street cleansing routes, along with other frontline services and council venues - with one local Unite Union representative saying it would leave the council 'paralysed'.
Lead Regional Officer for local authorities in Northern Ireland, Gareth Scott highlighted the impact the four-week strike would have on services at Derry City and Strabane District Council.
He said: “This strike will paralyse the council. Unite has particular concentrations among waste workers who continued to work throughout the lockdown – they expect basic respect and that means a proper consolidated improvement.
"We expect the strike to have an impact on services including refuse collection, street cleansing, recycling and some impact on leisure facilities.
"We don't expect the impact to be as great on leisure facilities but that is just down to union density within the council. We wouldn't have a lot of people in the leisure side of the council."
The Unite official also said that while the latest strike would commence on July 18 until August 14, they would be open to further negotiations throughout the industrial action period.
"We have a meeting this Friday with council management," Mr Scott continued. "We would hope to find a resolution there but we are not optimistic about it. We don't anticipate the council to come forward with an adequate offer.
"The workers want a 10pc increase but that is up for negotiation and the council haven't come forward with a offer. We live in hope and if they did come forward with an offer then we would have to go away and consider it."
A spokesperson for DCSDC said that it was "firmly committed" to finding a resolution with its workers ahead of the strike action next week.
"The action is in relation to a trade dispute over the 2021/2022 National Pay Award. Council said it expects the strike action to cause considerable disruption to a range of its services throughout this period.
"However, the council is currently involved in continuous and meaningful negotiations with the Unions to find a resolution to this dispute and Council remains firmly committed to continuing with this process to reach a positive and agreed outcome.
"Any mitigations that Council is planning in relation to the proposed strike action are being undertaken in full consultation with the trade unions and will include for example a dispensation in relation to cemetery provision and staff in the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Section. The Foyle Maritime Festival will proceed as planned."
Meanwhile, Mr Scott added all options were being considered and warned that an indefinite walkout could be on the cards if no additional consolidated pay increase was offered.
"You will see a pattern of escalation," he said. "We would expect that the escalation will continue but a decision hasn't been made on that, and I must stress that.
"If there was a requirement for further action after these four weeks then a decision would have to be made but ultimately there could be a movement to targeted sustained action.
"There is a pattern with our escalation and there comes a point where you need to move to the ultimate escalation and that is definitely an option."
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