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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Jack Thomson

Renfrewshire Council 'very sorry' as staff shortage leads to bin disruption

Council chiefs have issued an apology to residents in Renfrewshire after "a lack of available staff" led to a disruption in bin collections.

A statement confirmed the local authority would not collect household waste bins on Thursday or Friday, while recycling centres would also be closed.

An email distributed to elected members said the majority of frontline workers in waste and StreetScene services "failed to attend work" on Thursday morning. It added they would be "unable to predict" the position on Friday, but that a similar situation was anticipated.

Confirming the development on its website and social media channels, Renfrewshire Council said: "We are sorry for any inconvenience caused."

The council said it was sorry for any inconvenience caused (Andrew Neil)

Unite branded the state of affairs a "shambles of Renfrewshire Council's making" as they issued a response.

A spokesperson for the union said: "We are aware workers were asked to volunteer to work the public holiday and they said no.

"We are disappointed that our members are caught up in what can only be described as a shambles of Renfrewshire Council’s making which has created nothing but confusion."

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When contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a council spokesperson said: "Unfortunately due to a shortage of staff, we have had to postpone waste collections and close our household waste recycling centres on Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3. We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused.

"We were informed on Wednesday, June 1, from trade unions (GMB/Unite) that staff were being advised to not turn up for work on these days in relation to an issue regarding terms and conditions.

"We contacted the workforce direct to ensure they had accurate information in relation to this matter and to confirm they should attend work as normal."

The council has revealed an amended bin collection schedule, which is as follows:

- Grey and blue bins due to be collected on Thursday, June 2, will be collected on Sunday, June 5
- Green bins due to be collected on Thursday, June 2 will be collected on Monday, June 6
- Grey bins due to be collected on Friday, June 3 will be collected on Monday, June 6
- Green bins due to be collected on Friday, June 3 will be collected on Wednesday, June 8
- Blue bins due to be collected on Friday, June 3 will be collected on Thursday, June 9

Meanwhile, brown and food waste bins due to be collected between Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 10 are to be presented on the next scheduled uplift day.

Download the FREE Renfrewshire Live app now for all the latest news, features and sport in your area. Available on both Android and Apple. Download here: smarturl.it/RenfrewLiveSocial

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