BREAKING: Bins to go uncollected in Tipperary as date of strike action confirmed

Bins in Tipperary will go uncollected next month due to strike action at Ireland's  last publicly owned domestic waste collection service.

Workers at Bord na Móna Recycling had voted in favour of taking industrial action in a row over the sale of the recycling aspect of Bord na Móna to a different company.

SIPTU members within Bord na Móna Recycling voted in favour of strike action by a margin of 95% in favour, 5% against in a row over the sale of the business.

Now, SIPTU members employed by Bord na Móna have given notice of two days of strike action to take place next month.

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Workers at the recycling company will strike on April 2 and 3.

Bord na Móna plan to sell the recycling aspect of its business to KWD Recycling, subject to regulatory approval.

SIPTU Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane said that the strike action comes due to what the workers see as plans to privatise the service.

"The management of Bord na Móna Recycling have carried out a plan to privatise the company behind the backs of its workforce. No legally sound guarantees have been provided to our members that their hard fought for terms and conditions of employment will be maintained by a new employer," Mr Kane said.

"The deal to privatise the State’s last publicly owned domestic waste collection service has been structured in a manner which doesn’t provide the workers with the legal protections to their terms and conditions of employment which is normal in such a transfer of owners.

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"Management has so far refused to provide the workers with the legal protection of a Registered Employment Agreement that will ensure their standards of employment are not reduced and that under their new employer they can maintain their right to collectively bargain," Mr Kane continued.

Calling on Bord na Móna customers to support the strike action, Mr Kane said: "our members have been forced to take this course of action. They are calling upon the loyal customer base of Bord na Móna Recycling to support them in this action, as protecting the manner in which the company operates will ensure that they will not be victim to massive increases in bin charges and ensure the service maintains its record of adherence to the highest standards of environmental legislation.

SIPTU Organiser, Pat McCabe, said: “This is the final opportunity for the company and Government to engage seriously with Union representatives on the future of this key public service. Union representatives will meet with Bord na Móna Recycling management on Thursday (March 20).

"We are also renewing our request that the Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O'Brien, meets with a delegation of Bord na Móna Recycling workers and Union organisers to discuss this move by the State out of waste management and recycling," Mr McCabe added.