Solihull cemetery maintenance workers begin week-long strike
This comes as roughly 50 IDVerde contract workers also announced strike action earlier in July, following failed talks with Solihull Metropolitan District Council
Parks, cemetery and public space maintenance workers in Solihull began a week-long strike yesterday (31 July) in a dispute about pay after the GMB Union said last Friday that no more talks would be held, the BBC has reported.
This comes as roughly 50 IDVerde contract workers also announced strike action earlier in July, following failed talks with Solihull Metropolitan District Council.
Rebecca Mitchell, an organiser at GMB, told the BBC: “IDVerde is a national contracting giant. To treat local Solihull workers, taxpayers and residents in this way is a disgrace.
“During the summer holidays, Solihull’s public spaces are a refuge to local residents and families. Local maintenance workers make this possible, keeping our public spaces and parks clean and safe for local people.”
Mitchell also called the contracting company’s actions “reckless”, as letting the strikes go ahead will leave parks to “quickly become filthy and unusable”. Therefore, she urged the company to “get back round the table with a solution”.
In a statement, IDVerde said: “We are disappointed by the action proposed by some of our colleagues at our Solihull site, as we remain open to constructive discussions and continue to look for a workable solution.
“In the meantime, we would like to put minds at rest that contingency planning and colleagues not taking part in the industrial action will ensure parks, cemeteries and all public areas maintained by IDVerde will remain open and available to all.”