THE south Dublin refuse strike could spread to other areas and may yet involve water inspectors, sewerage maintenance crews and grave diggers, SIPTU warned yesterday.
Both sides in the dispute, which has disrupted refuse collections throughout South Dublin County Council's area since Friday, say they are willing to negotiate a settlement, but appear unable to agree the basis on which those talks can take place.
The council says it wants a working party of refuse collectors and managers to meet under an independent chairman. At the centre of the dispute are differences over how to introduce the use of so called wheelie bins.
SIPTU branch secretary Mr John Glennon says he would welcome an independent facilitator "to try and get talks going again. We concluded a deal with Fingal County Council for wheelie bins on a phased basis and that is working very successfully. There is absolutely no reason why it couldn't work in South Dublin."
Meanwhile, rubbish is beginning to accumulate for 66,000 householders and tempers are becoming frayed on the picket lines. Vehicles belonging to management and supervisory staff involved in waste disposal have been damaged and their union, IMPACT, is examining the incidents. However, no evidence has emerged so far to link the attacks with the dispute.
South Dublin County Council has introduced the wheelie bin system on a different basis to Fingal. In Fingal a crew was sent to Dundalk for training. On their return wheelie bins and a new freighter with automatic lifting gear were provided. From a base of 850 houses the crew reached the 1,200 target in six weeks. The system is now being extended to other council areas.
In South Dublin the council decided to introduce the new routes first, using old equipment. This meant reducing the existing 17 routes to 12 routes. The size of crews was increased by around 40 per cent to cope with the extra loads.
SIPTU and AGEMOU, the unions representing the refuse workers, signed an agreement with management that stated, "Routes in general are based on a maximum of 1,200 houses, or twice the freighter capacity". According to SIPTU the eight and 12 tonne freighters used are not big enough.
Management maintains the spirit and letter of the agreement means that refuse from 1,200 houses must be collected each day.
Pickets have been placed on council depots, offices and Bohernabreena tiphead. SIPTU says these could be extended to Bohernabreena cemetery and other services.