WORKINGTON residents face 'spring bin chaos' as workers announce strike action over poverty pay rates.

Workers employed by Allerdale Waste Services will begin strike action later this month in a dispute over pay.

The 60 members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are taking strike action due to enduring what they call 'poverty' pay rates.

Loaders are paid £10.90 an hour while refuse lorry drivers, who have to hold a HGV licence, are on £11.89.

These rates came into effect from the beginning of this month when their employer gave a 10.1 per cent increase.

However, Unite say this was an overall real terms pay cut, due to the real inflation rate (RPI) standing at 13.8 per cent.

Even with the recent pay increase, Unite claims the pay rates are among the lowest for refuse workers in the UK.

The initial strike action, which will affect the town of Workington and the surrounding area, begins on Thursday, April 27 and ends on Sunday, April 30. If a 'vastly improved pay offer' is not made then further action is expected in the coming weeks, the union say.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is outrageous that our members, who are delivering vital local cleansing services, are on poverty rates of pay.

“The low pay our members are suffering combined with the cost of living crisis means that they are struggling daily to make ends meet.

“Unite has a laser like focus on the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the workforce at Allerdale Waste Services will be receiving the union’s undivided support.”

Allerdale Waste Services is a private company which was created by the former Allerdale council and is now wholly owned by Cumberland council which came into being on April 1.

Unite regional officer Lewis Watson said: “The strike action will inevitably result in large-scale disruption as residents’ bins will go uncollected. But this dispute is entirely the fault of management at Allerdale Waste Services, who have had every opportunity to make a fair pay offer but have failed to do so.

“Allerdale Waste Services and Cumberland Council must stop prevaricating and make our members a fair offer.”

A Cumberland Council spokesman said: “We are working with Allerdale Waste Services who are in dialogue with the trade union representatives on the proposed strike action.

"We will update residents in due course with what this may mean for them in terms of any disruption to kerbside waste collections.”