Grounds maintenance staff in Welwyn Hatfield are set to go on strike again in January and February as their pay dispute with their employers continues.
Workers for Continental Landscapes, which holds Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s grounds maintenance contract, will strike for five days beginning on Monday, January 30, and then a further five days from Monday, February 6.
Having already taken eight days of strike action since the dispute began in November last year, their walkout is continuing despite a pay rise being offered, with conditions such as annualised hours and no further pay increase until late 2024 making the offer unacceptable.
READ MORE: Welwyn Hatfield grounds maintenance staff to strike over pay
"Unite’s members at Continental Landscapes play an integral part in keeping Welwyn and Hatfield clean and tidy," said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
"It is entirely unacceptable that the employer thinks it can get away with paying poverty rates of pay.
"Unite is totally dedicated to defending and improving our members’ jobs, pay and conditions and our members at Continental Landscapes will continue to receive the union’s unflinching support."
In a statement, a spokesperson for Continental Lanscapes confirmed they are "working hard" to find a pay award that Unite and the workers deem acceptable.
"We are working hard to agree a pay award with the Unite Union who are representing their members working on the contract," read the statement.
"As at 1st March 2022 we agreed a 9.4 per cent annual pay rise with Unite and applied this across our workforce.
"A further pay claim from Unite was received in July 2022. In response we made an additional offer which has been rejected by Unite on behalf of its members.
"At this time we are continuing to work hard to find a solution to the current industrial action."
Councillor Samuel Kasumu, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council’s executive member for environment and climate change, added: "We continue to review the impact this is having on our services.
"We’re not directly involved in the negotiations and it’s not appropriate for us to say any more while talks are ongoing."
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