Gosport Christmas bin strike called off following increased pay offer

The planned bin strike, which was scheduled to start on Boxing Day and continue for 12 days, has been cancelled after a revised pay deal by Urbaser Ltd was accepted by the GMB Union in Gosport. The strike was announced in December over a dispute regarding pay over the Christmas period in which GMB claimed they were only being offered flat rate pay to work over the festive bank holidays by Urbaser Ltd.

Tim Guile, regional manager at Urbaser Ltd, said: "We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement, averting the industrial action scheduled over the Christmas period. We believe the agreement is a great result for all parties involved. I want to express my gratitude to everyone involved in the negotiations for their effort in finding a resolution. With this issue now behind us, we can confidently look ahead to 2024.”

It has been announced that the new pay offer was accepted by GMB on Friday, December 15 via a ballot which received a majority acceptance. Urbaser Ltd have been providing waste and recycling collection services for Gosport Borough Council, as well as street cleaning services, since 2011 with their current contract running until 2026.

Councillor Peter Chegwyn, Leader of Gosport Borough Council, said: "We are pleased that the strike, which would have caused disruption for our residents at a busy time of year, has been called off. "

GMB have been contacted by The News to comment on this announcement.