00:00Wrexham could soon be facing months of disruption to bin collections, park maintenance and other
00:06street services as more than 100 council workers prepare for strike action in a row over working
00:11patterns and overtime pay. Unite members in the council's street scene operations team,
00:16which includes refuse collectors, highway staff and parks and gardens workers, will walk out on
00:21multiple dates from late August through to mid-November. They've also announced an overtime
00:25ban for the same period meaning even on non-strike days services could still be affected.
00:31The dispute centers on changes introduced by Wrexham council earlier this year. Unite says the
00:36authority scrapped long-standing arrangements that allowed staff to volunteer for overtime
00:41including over Christmas and replaced them with compulsories to have today working
00:44with threats of disciplinary action if staff don't attend. The union says overtime rates have also
00:51been cut and that every bank holiday will now mean a loss of a half day's pay. They argue this is
00:56effectively an extension of the working week without agreement. After years of below inflation pay
01:01rises, workers are feeling the squeeze more than ever. Wrexham council says it's disappointed at
01:07Unite's decision to strike, pointing to what it calls a lengthy and prolonged consultation during its
01:12latest budget setting process. The authority says all public services are under severe financial pressure,
01:18with rising council tax bills already needed to plug funding gaps and protect essential services.
01:23If the dispute isn't resolved, residents could face significant disruption, especially if, as Unite's
01:28warning, further action is taken over Christmas, when household waste is at its peak. With the first
01:33walkout scheduled for the 23rd of August, the clock is ticking for both sides to find a resolution before
01:38the bins and tensions begin to pile up in Wrexham. James P. Watkins, Boughton for Local TV.
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