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Brighton bin strike: Emergency council meeting over dispute

Eddie Mitchell Rubbish in BrightonEddie Mitchell
The strike by refuse drivers is now in its second week

Councillors in Brighton are holding an emergency meeting seeking to resolve a bin strike which has blighted the city.

Concerns that the dispute is causing a health hazard have been raised as bags of refuse pile up on pathways.

Talks between the GMB union and the Green-led council broke down on Monday in the dispute over changes of duties and pay, which began on 5 October.

Brighton & Hove City Council's policy and resources committee will set out "options for resolution" later.

Tension rose during the meeting after a councillor compared the union's actions to those of terrorists.

Conservative councillor Joe Miller said "I hate to refer to Maggie Thatcher, but this is a similar situation - you can't negotiate with terrorists."

Mr Miller then clarified that "the actions of the GMB are not actions of terrorists, obviously" but accused the union of "blackmail" and said "the actions they are undertaking... are unreasonable to say the least."

Council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty asked Mr Miller to withdraw his comments.

"You're referring to your own staff as terrorists - and that's not acceptable," he said.

Mr Miller withdrew the comment but the GMB said it would not negotiate with the council until it gets a written apology from Mr Miller.

Eddie Mitchell Brighton Rubbish pile upEddie Mitchell
Residents have reported a bad smell across Brighton and Hove

The council said the meeting would also provide the chief executive and senior council officials "a clear negotiation steer".

One of the options being considered is to bring in ACAS or another third party industrial relations expert to act as an intermediary in the dispute.

The GMB called the action amid concerns over drivers being removed from long-standing rounds and pay.

The strike is in its second week and could last until at least mid-November.

On Monday the council accused the union of walking out of a meeting where a "significant" offer had been made before hearing all the details.

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Union bosses denied the claims, and said they walked out of negotiations because the proposal was less than previously offered.

The GMB announced a three-day pause of the industrial action would come into force on 18 October.

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