Yahoo News Row breaks out between Jarrow MP and South Tyneside Council over bin collection strikes
A row has broken out between a Jarrow MP and South Tyneside Council over the ongoing issue of bin collection strikes. Kate Osborne MP has accused the council of 'undermining industrial relations' on social media.
A spokesperson from South Tyneside Council responded, saying that residents should be made aware that 'the MP's comments do not accurately reflect the current situation.' This comes after an announcement on 1st May that the ongoing strikes had been partly suspended following four hours of talks.
The dispute began when Kate Osborne MP posted this statement on her X (formerly known as Twitter) account: "It is very disappointing that despite my intervention that successfully pushed for the strike to be suspended earlier this month (as agreed by both sides), South Tyneside Council, instead of building on this progress, have continued to undermine industrial relations and, in my opinion, potentially unfairly suspended some of the workforce.
"Understandably, the workers are extremely annoyed and let down by this (as am I) and I am told will shortly decide to unsuspend the action and take further strike action imminently. This will have a devastating impact on my constituents, some of whom still haven't had their bins emptied because of the backlog.
"I have spoken to and will be writing to South Tyneside Council's leadership team and the Chief Executive to express just how unacceptable this is. As the employer, the onus is on them to behave in a constructive and reasonable way, not victimise the trade union rep. As always, the workers have my full support."
A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council responded with this statement: "South Tyneside Council is aware of comments on social media made by Kate Osborne MP for Jarrow. It is important that the people of South Tyneside are aware that the MP's comments do not accurately reflect the current situation.
"The Council has been working hand in hand with the workforce over recent weeks to deliver the agreed action plan in line with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was approved and signed by both the Council and GMB and has been making significant progress to that effect. We continue to push on with this.
"Entirely separate to this, the Council has had no other option but to suspend two members of the waste services team. This comes after serious health and safety concerns were raised around vehicle safety. While HR matters are confidential, it would be unacceptable to ignore issues that could endanger both members of the public and our workforce.
"Whilst we would not usually comment on such internal processes, we have been moved to provide a comment to give a balanced view to residents. HR processes will now be undertaken quickly, in line with Council procedures and in a manner that is fair to all parties.
"Public protection is paramount and the consequences of things going wrong with a 26-tonne vehicle out in our communities does not bear thinking about. With regards to any plans for further strike action, we have not sought to undermine industrial relations, nor have we undermined the terms of the MOU.
"The GMB recognised that there would be occasions when a more formal stance would need to be taken in disciplinary matters. This is one. We simply will not bow to pressure to ignore such serious concerns with the threat of further industrial action.
"We would hope that the workforce can separate these two matters and continue to work positively with us to deliver a waste collection service for the people of South Tyneside. Similarly, we will continue to seek to work constructively with our local MPs following correspondence today and have offered further briefings, as appropriate, in due course."
