Strike at Mid Ulster Council is over after pay deal agreed

Staff at Mid Ulster Council will return to work on Friday, after an agreement was reached on pay.

The industrial action by council staff has seen thousands of homes – mainly in the Dungannon and south Tyrone area – left without bin collection services over the last four weeks.

On Wednesday, a member of the Unite union said they had been informed that council had agreed to their pay demands.

Eddie McNeice who works at the Dungannon depot, said, “We have been told that the Council management team have agreed to our proposal for the £750 one-off payment. So that means the strike is now off. It’s over.

“We are just delighted to have reached the agreement and all our members are looking forward to getting back to work and doing their jobs. It’s a great result for us.”

The Council had offered a proposed four per-cent pay increase for staff over two years, on top of the national pay offer which would bring a further 10 per-cent rise this year for those on the lowest scales.

Their initial proposal also included a one-off payment of £500 in recognition of the financial pressures which many face as a result of the cost of living crisis.

Unite, however had pushed for a £750 payment, due to the rising costs of living.

A statement from the council read, “Mid Ulster District Council and Trade Unions (GMB, NIPSA and Unite) have successfully concluded discussions around a local pay offer. As a result of the collective discussions with all three unions, GMB and NIPSA will now recommend the offer to their members. Unite has a mandate to accept the offer and suspend the current industrial action by its members.

“The Council and Trade Unions have welcomed the outcome of the constructive discussions, jointly acknowledging the importance of ongoing positive engagement.

“The Council anticipates that all impacted services will return to normal on Friday.”