Refuse and street cleansing workers in Leeds took strike action for the third consecutive week in support of equal pay for low paid women and against the authority’s attempt to take up to £6,000 per year from 2,500 of their workers – 1,000 women and 1,500 men. Angry GMB members wish to convey their frustration to elected members and highly paid bureaucrats.

GMB Organiser Bill Chard commented, “This action will not only continue, in fact it will multiply. We will not stand by and see our members subjected to the plundering of their pockets by highly paid council chiefs and we continue the fight for equal pay for women. Leeds City Council are using agency workers in an attempt to break this strike. This is illegal and the GMB’s lawyers are actively pursuing the agencies who are providing the strike breaking workers. The penalty is £5,000 per strike breaker.”

Leeds City Council operated an unlawful pay policy and now they are unlawfully strike breaking.

A further meeting to discuss pay and conditions is to take place at the Leeds Town Hall on 19th May 2008 at 7.00pm.