Residents of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) are set to face a further four weeks of industrial action.
Unite the Union has refused to call off strike action while it ballots members on a new pay deal.
Significant disruption to bin collection, leisure facilities and the closure of Dundonald Ice Bowl to customers will now continue to at least the end of the month.
Read more: Lisburn and Castlereagh Council strike: Unite challenge bosses over agency workers.
A wage and cost of living offer was made by the council on Friday (Sept 30) to the GMB, NIPSA and Unite the Union.
The local authority had asked Unite the Union for a suspension of industrial action whilst its members reviewed the offer.
A LCCC spokesperson said: “The council had requested a suspension of industrial action until the ballot had concluded as has been the case in other councils.
“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.
“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.”
Following consultation this week, Unite regional officer, Kieran Ellison has confirmed that its ballot result will not be known until October 28.
A statement released from Unite (Oct 4) read: “Unite can only assume that the public posturing from council is designed to try to turn public sentiment against those on industrial action.
“Such use of the media may serve to fix an immediate problem for council, but it is certainly not conducive to seeking a resolve to the issues, as instead further agitates those on industrial action who as yet have to vote to accept or reject the formal offer. We would ask those interested in this dispute to understand that Unite are genuinely seeking to resolve this dispute.”
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