TODAY refuse workers in Workington and the surrounding area will return to work for the first time in over three months, after unions and management at Allerdale Waste Services have reached an agreement in the long running strike.

The strike involving members of Unite, began in April and the workers have been on all-out continuous strike since May 16, in a dispute over pay.

Following negotiations between Unite and Allerdale Waste Services, brokered by the conciliation service Acas, the loaders were offered an increase in pay from £10.90 an hour to £11.81 (8.3 per cent) while the drivers who are legally required to hold a HGV licence will see their pay increase from £11.99 an hour to £13.62 an hour (13.6 per cent.) The members were balloted on the offer earlier this week and it was accepted.

As part of the agreement the workforce will see their working hours reduced to 37 hours a week, they will also receive a double time payment for working on bank holidays plus a day off in lieu. Further policies to improve the overall working environment will also be enacted.

The workers will return to work today Thursday, August 24.

Lewis Wilson, officer for Unite, who has been part of the ongoing talks in recent months, has said that the union are just glad they have ‘got the result for the lads.’

He said: “We are glad this has been reached, the lads are looking forward to getting back to work and just back to normal life to be honest, we have ended up with the loaders getting the exact rate they wanted in parity with Copeland and the drivers on their salary are actually now the highest paid, which is a good victory for them.

“A lot of this is down to the support we have had from the public, and the hard work we have had from the lads, particularly the stewards, it’s been massive, everything they have done has been fantastic.

“The lads are happy to be going back to work, it’s no good for anybody being on strike for that long, now they are happy just to get back to work, back to normal life and do what they do best which is serve the community.”

Allerdale Waste Services (AWS) have also said they are pleased with the successful resolution of the recent industrial action.

Charles Holmes, Managing Director of Allerdale Waste Services, said: "The successful resolution of this industrial action is a testament to the commitment and dedication of all parties involved. We have upheld our principles of open dialogue and have worked to find a fair and sustainable agreement.

“I would very much like to thank the team here at Allerdale Waste Services who have worked tirelessly over the past few months to continue to collect household waste throughout this period of Industrial Action.

“I am confident that this resolution will allow us to continue providing excellent waste collection services while respecting the contributions of all our valued employees. Work will now commence to safely reintroduce all waste collection services in a phased approach over the coming weeks. Further details for residents will be available online soon.”