Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Abbie Wightwick

Road gritters announce dates of New Year strike action in Carmarthenshire

Council gritters are starting the New Year on strike.

Gritters in Carmarthenshire County Council Highways department have announced dates of industrial action in January.

They will first go on strike on the January 6 and 7, again between January 17 and 21, and between January 24 and 28.

Read more news from Carmarthenshire here

The GMB union warned the action could bring roads to a standstill with a shortage of HGV drivers.

Earlier this month around 70 gritters in GMB, Unison and Unite unions overwhelmingly voted for industrial action early in the new year.

The dispute follows on from action taken two years ago that saw the introduction of the comprehensive collective agreement between the union and the authority.

Peter Hill, GMB regional organiser said: “Due to the intransigence of Carmarthenshire County Council our members now have no other option than to take action.

“It’s not something we take lightly but until they come back to the table, we will continue.

“It’s a disgrace that a local authority refuses to follow a signed agreement, and then breaks off talks meant to resolve the problems.

“No other local authority in Wales behaves in this way.”

Mark Evans, Unison Branch Secretary, said: “Despite what the council says they are not negotiating, if they are not willing to come back then they will have a fight.

“It costs nothing to follow the agreement, why would they risk strike action which will cost taxpayers a lot of money when they could settle it easily."

Responding to the claims Cllr Hazel Evans, Carmarthenshire Council cabinet member for environment, said: “We reject comments made by GMB regarding the agreement – our staff are being paid the rates for duties as set out in the collective agreement.

“We are continuing our conversations with trade unions and our staff on this issue, and whilst we wish to avoid industrial action we have contingency measures in place to ensure the safety of travelling public in the event of action taking place.”

To get the latest email updates from WalesOnline click here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.