OIC shares plans for week of strike action

Waste, recycling and street cleansing services in Orkney will be subject to significant disruption from next week if planned industrial action goes ahead, Orkney Islands Council has warned.

The action — by members of the GMB Union — is in response to the ongoing national dispute in relation to a pay award for local government staff, which is negotiated between the trade unions and COSLA as the umbrella body for local authorities in Scotland.

The union has confirmed that the action will take place from Wednesday, August 14, at 5am through to Thursday, August 22, at 4.59am.

Services will be impacted as follows throughout that period:

• There will be no household waste or recycling collections in Mainland Orkney and Shapinsay. Household waste collections in Hoy, Flotta, Shapinsay, Westray and Graemsay will also be cancelled.

• There will be no trade waste collection in the above areas.

• The scheduled bulky waste collection for Shapinsay for the week beginning Monday, August 19, will be rescheduled (the date is still to be determined).

• All civic amenity sites will be closed — Bossack, Hatston, Garson, Cursiter, St. Margarets Hope.

• No litter bins will be emptied.

• No street cleaning will take place.

Householders are being asked to keep their waste and recycling until their next available collection date — or visit an amenity site when they reopen — as no catch-up collections will take place.

While it’s appreciated that householders may wish pre-empt the disruption by going to the amenity sites now, where possible, they should keep hold of the materials in order to avoid overwhelming the sites.

As litter and dog waste bins will not be emptied, folk are also asked to take any litter or dog waste home with them.

At present it is anticipated that Chinglebraes will remain open which means that trade customers with an account at Chinglebraes will still be able to take their waste and recycling there.

Kerbside and bulky collections due to take place in Sanday, Stronsay, Eday, North Ronaldsay, Papa Westray, Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre may be subject to cancellation.