Waste crisis looms as union to meet city officials

MUNICIPAL service staff in Waterford who walked off the job last week are to sit down with city authority officials within three weeks in a last-ditch effort to avoid a waste crisis.

The Labour Relations Commission has set aside April 22 as the starting point for talks between SIPTU officials and city council management.

More than 50 staff employed in municipal services by the authority walked off the job in an unofficial dispute when outside contractors were brought in to spray the city’s parks.

A SIPTU official said it had received a fax from the city council, saying the local authority was prepared to go to the Labour Relations Commission to resolve the matter and prevent further disruption to services.

SIPTU says it is prepared to enter into such talks, but only if the issues raised by the union are all put on the table in the course of such talks.

“Our members have a lot of personal grievances and we will only go to the LRC if all of the issues we raised will be discussed,” said local SIPTU official Davy Lane.

SIPTU had been awaiting official sanction from head office for further action, which could include an overtime ban, a work-to-rule or an all-out strike. That sanction is also now on hold, pending the LRC talks.

A spokesperson for the city council confirmed that as early as midway through the month, it had suggested going to the LRC.

“We are dealing with the ongoing industrial relations matters. And despite what some people are saying, there is absolutely no question of job losses. We are prepared to discuss all of the issues relevant to the LRC through that forum,” he added.

Refuse services, street cleaning, parks maintenance, water, and other municipal services will be curtailed, and even halted, if the threatened official industrial action by 138 members of the union at the city council goes ahead.

SIPTU is required under law to give two weeks’ notice of any official action.

Any disruption to refuse and cleaning services would be a major headache for the city, ahead of the busy tourist season and the build-up to Waterford hosting the Tall Ships Race in July.

Earlier this week, a city council spokesman accused Mr Lane of making “inaccurate and misleading” comments in a number of media outlets and claimed he had been “selective in his interpretation” of their discussions.

City council management has stated that it remains available for whatever discussions SIPTU officials and members may wish to have.