Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council has said it is ‘disappointed’ that strike action is going ahead while union members consider a new pay offer.
The council presented a local pay offer to the unions GMB, NIPSA and Unite the Union at the end of September.
The trade unions collectively asked for 2 Spinal Column Point increases and a cost of living payment, a request the council agreed to.
The unions have put this offer to their members to consider, but Unite has decided to continue with strike action until the results of the ballot are in on 28 October.
‘Council was disappointed to learn from Unite the Union that their members who are currently on strike would not agree to suspend the strike action during the ballot process,’ a council statement said.
‘Whilst Council is respectful of an individual’s right to strike, we are now facing a continued period of significant disruption across essential services for at least a further four-week period.’
Unite reportedly said that it was 'genuinely interested in seeking to resolve this dispute' and added that was 'demonstrable by our actions that we are willing to ballot members on a formal offer, flaws and all, in order to get an objective answer rather than sit in a state of inertia.'
