Coventry bin dispute: Thousands visit temporary rubbish sites

More than 19,000 visits have been made to temporary waste collection sites in Coventry as a war of words continues between bin lorry drivers and the local authority.

Members of the Unite union are unhappy with new rotas and want higher pay.

But the city council said it was paying its drivers an average of £34,143 and disputes several union claims.

A series of strikes have been held, with the next four-day stoppage due to begin on 11 January.

Four collection sites have been set up around the city, to prevent bins from overflowing and callers to BBC CWR have broadly welcomed their introduction.

One man described them as "a good idea, but inconvenient", while another described them as "an absolutely brilliant idea as long as it's not impacting on people's rights to strike".

The Unite union said on Wednesday some of its drivers were "paid as little as £22,183 a year" and said it wanted to "lift workers out of low pay".

But the local authority put out a statement to respond to what it called "blatant inaccuracies" and said the lowest paid driver was actually getting £28,148, with the highest earner receiving £52,163.

It said it was "one of the highest paying local authorities in the West Midlands" for Class II HGV drivers, and that it "took exception" to union claims this was "poverty pay".

The two sides have also put out conflicting claims about the negotiations so far.

Unite said: "Coventry members agreed to postpone strike action over Christmas in good faith to allow further talks with the city council."

But the council said it was told by the union that strike action was called off because it "had failed to follow due process".

Both sides have said they are open to further talks, however.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]