Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is advising residents of further disruption to some key services over the next four weeks, as the three Trade Unions; NIPSA, GMB, and Unite the Union continue industrial action.
Industrial action commenced on Monday 15 August and may last until Sunday 11 September, with varying levels of impact to services and facilities throughout this period of dispute anticipated. The council regrets industrial action taking place, and remains fully committed to finding a resolution through on-going discussions with the Trade Unions in the days ahead.
The council wishes to apologise to residents for the inconvenience this on-going period of disruption is causing, and is keen to reassure them that every effort is being made to minimise the impact to services. From today (Tuesday 16 August), normal services have resumed across most council facilities with the exception of the majority of Environmental Services including; bin collections, household recycling centres, and street cleansing.
Brown, black and green bin collections will continue to be impacted across the borough, but will take place where possible. Residents are advised to leave bins out for collection as normal. If there are sufficient staff available for routes on any given day, crews will work to collect bins where possible. It is not guaranteed that collections will take place, however residents are being asked to leave their bins out for collection by 7.00am on their normal collection days. This will allow the emptying of bins where there are sufficient crews in place to do so.
If bins are not emptied on their normal collection day, residents are asked to take their bins back in from the kerbside. This means crews have not been able to operate the service in their area and council apologises for missing the week’s collection. Bins should only be left out for collection again on their next scheduled collection day after the missed collection.
All household recycling centres are currently closed, and bulky household waste collections and bin purchases are suspended until further notice, subject to review.
A limited street cleansing service will be available and this will impact street sweeping, litter picking and street bins. Some bookings for pitches within council parks may be affected. Clubs and individuals affected will be contacted directly and advised as soon as possible.
The council recognises the continued adverse impact of Trade Unions actions and wants to reassure residents and customers that full service provision will resume as soon as possible.
The council will endeavour to keep residents informed of service disruptions on its website: www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/servicedisruption, and on social media (Facebook and Twitter).
