WORKINGTON'S MP has hit out at the leader of Cumberland Council, accusing him of ducking an urgent meeting to break the bin strike deadlock - with the leader hitting back, saying the MP’s alleged attempts to ‘personalise’ the issue are ‘lamentable’.

The former Allerdale area is currently being hit by ongoing strikes by refuse workers, who are demanding wage parity with their colleagues in the former Copeland and Carlisle council areas.

Mark Jenkinson MP said he invited the Labour leader of the unitary authority, Mark Fryer, to 'get around the table' with union reps and binmen in a letter sent on June 1.

The MP said the new council has so far refused to give in to union demands and has now declined a meeting offered by the MP in a bid to break the ten-week standoff.

Mr Jenkinson said: “To say the response from the so-called leader of Cumberland is disappointing would be an understatement.

“I sent an invitation in good faith asking him to work with me to resolve this crisis and help end #binchaos.

“I impressed upon him the urgency of this situation, with an increasing number of complaints about rats from businesses and residents alike.

“I even hand-delivered my letter because I was concerned that I had received no reply.

“Three weeks later, Mr Fryer sent me an underwhelming three-sentence email in which he has effectively refused to meet, citing a wish to resolve this matter ‘as soon as possible’, but only via ‘recognised channels’.

“But as we enter our tenth week of bin strikes, it is painfully obvious that Mr Fryer’s ‘recognised channels’ aren’t working.

“In refusing to meet with me, he is showing contempt for the people of this constituency who I was elected to represent – and for the binmen themselves who are committed to reaching an amicable settlement.

“All they are asking for is to be paid the same wage as their colleagues doing the same job for the same council. My offer still stands – and I am willing to get around the table in an ‘official’ or ‘unofficial capacity’ if that means my constituents get their bins emptied.

"I would urge Mr Fryer to swallow his pride and come to the table before we have a public health crisis on our hands. Enough is enough.”

However, Cllr Fryer has said that the union has so far refused to put a formal offer on the table, despite offers placed by Cumberland Council.

Cllr Fryer said: “An industrial dispute such as this must be resolved through the appropriate channels, following established protocols which ensure fairness and transparency and not through unofficial meetings.

"I’m sure Mr Jenkinson and members of the public understand this. We all want to find a resolution to get waste services staff back to work as quickly as possible.

“As Mr Jenkinson will be aware, several clear offers to improve terms and conditions have already been put to trade union representatives by Allerdale Waste Services (AWS - the Cumberland council-owned waste collection body) which disappointingly have been refused.

“It is important to note that AWS staff have already been awarded a pay increase of 10.1 per cent from April 1, which aligns with inflation rates and is based on the Foundation Living Wage (a higher rate than the National Living Wage).

"If the offer of paid Bank Holidays was accepted, it would provide an additional 1.6 per cent for both drivers and loaders, bringing the total pay award for 2023/24 to 11.7 per cent. This would surpass what Unite and GMB have asked for nationally.

“The issue of parity is an important matter; however, AWS already have salaries comparable or higher than other waste services within the Cumberland area.

"The 32.6 per cent pay increase the unions are demanding is financially unfeasible and would create significant disharmony in other service areas.

“It’s lamentable that Mr Jenkinson feels the need to personalise this issue by throwing around emotive words like 'contempt' and 'pride'. We remain committed to finding a resolution via the proper channels that will address the union’s concerns in a fair and sustainable way.

"AWS have also worked hard to ensure a service to residents has continued to be provided and residual waste can be collected since the industrial action began eight weeks ago, with around 90 per cent of bins being collected on their usual day.

"Any missed bins are then prioritised for the following week.

“I know AWS are inviting the trade unions to further discussions and negotiations within the appropriate channels and have asked that they put a formal offer on the table which they have so far refused to do.

"This significantly hinders the progress towards a resolution as constructive dialogue requires both parties to put forward proposals and engage in meaningful negotiations.

"Perhaps Mr Jenkinson could encourage the trade unions to present an offer to AWS for consideration.

“I remain confident that we can work towards a resolution that meets the needs of the community while maintaining the integrity of the processes in place.”