Strike results in rubbish-strewn city streets

Jul 18 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

SHOPPERS expressed disgust at rubbish in Newcastle city centre yesterday as the second day of a council workers’ strike took its toll.

The area surrounding the city’s Northumberland Street was strewn with empty beer cans, food wrappers and litter spilling from packed bins.

Rubbish piled up as council workers joined the second day of a strike over pay, closing thousands of schools, town halls, libraries and leisure centres, and disrupting rubbish collections and other services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Unison said half a million workers – including teaching assistants, care workers, librarians, environmental health officers, building inspectors and social workers – continued the walkout in protest at a 2.45% pay offer.

Further industrial action has not been ruled out in the bitter row over the below-inflation offer, which unions complained failed to keep pace with rising food, fuel and housing costs.

There was some support for the striking workers in Newcastle yesterday, though it came coupled with concerns over hygiene and potential damage to the image of the city.

Retired Robert Thompson, 62, of Ponteland, said: “It’s not very nice at all. It is only going to build up as the day goes on as well. From what we have seen, it is starting to look filthy – most bins are full and rubbish is spilling out. It means all of the extra sacks are just out on the streets and the smell is terrible. There’s a chance the vermin will follow – it is absolutely horrible.” Georgia Pickavance, 24, a student from West Monkseaton, said: “It’s pretty disgusting. It’s a shame it’s happened when it has because there’s lots of graduations at the moment.

“But, having said that, everyone has the right to strike. It’s probably worst around the Monument but, to be honest, I noticed it straight away when I got into town. It’s a bad image for Newcastle and I imagine if people are seeing it for the first time, they won’t be coming back.”

A Newcastle City Council spokesman said staff would be back at work today.

He said: “We are in the middle of a 48-hour period of industrial action called by Unison, as a result of which the vast majority of the resources we would normally deploy to deal with street litter are not available to us.”

Unison said 500,000 of their members took part in the second day of action. General secretary Dave Prentis said: “After yesterday’s strong showing, picket lines up and down the country have today remained solid and are even growing in some regions.

“The resolve of local government workers is hardening. Public support is on our side, so the employers must realise they have a fight on their hands. With inflation at an 11-year high and set to rise further, local government staff and their families cannot take another year of pay cuts. The employers need only dip into their £11bn reserves to end this dispute – they do not have to resort to cutting services or raising council tax.”