Workers at a recycling firm that collects bins from tens of thousands of households in Northern Ireland will go on strike on Friday (May 5), the trade union Unison has said.
Drivers and kerbside loaders at Bryson Recycling are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay.
The Mallusk-based social enterprise, which is part of the Bryson Charitable Group, provides kerbside recycling collection for four of the north’s biggest councils: Belfast City Council; Antrim & Newtownabbey; Lisburn & Castlereagh; and Mid & East Antrim.
It also processes waste from those four councils, as well as Ards & North Down Borough Council, at the Central Park Industrial Estate in Mallusk.
Bryson also collect black bins from around 22,000 households in the Antrim area.
Unison regional organiser Joe McCusker said: “Our members in Bryson Recycling are asking for a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.
“They want their pay to reflect the value of the work they do. Bryson Recycling should be paying these workers a fair and decent wage.”
The union said strike action will begin at 7am on Friday with a picket at Mallusk Road, Newtownabbey, at the entrance to the Central Park Industrial Estate.
The latest accounts for Bryson Recycling show it recorded a pre-tax profit of £1.6 million in the year ending March 31 2022, from a turnover of £18.5m.
It followed a pre-tax loss of £112,671 in the previous financial year.
The accounts show the company employed 335 last year.
Responding to the strike action, a spokesperson from Bryson Recycling said: “We are fully committed to reaching a solution and are hopeful that any outstanding issues will be resolved imminently."
In a statement, Belfast City Council said: “We are liaising with Bryson Recycling on the potential impact of the proposed strike action to our ratepayers. We will update our website and social media channels with any changes to services, once confirmed.”
