Refuse collectors in Slough belonging to the Unite union could be balloted for strike action following the suspension of a senior steward on what Unite has branded “trumped up charges”.

The suspension and potential dismissal of Peter Nolan, senior Unite steward and worker at Slough Council, has raised support for a strike amongst other Unite members in the refuse collection team. Nolan was accused of ‘undermining the refuse collection service’, apparently due to pushing back against pressure from managers for workers to take their lunch breaks on the road, in unsanitary conditions, instead of returning to the depot where they could access washing facilities.

Unite Regional Officer Bob Middleton commented: “Peter Nolan’s only crime is to stand up for his workforce, to ensure existing agreements are not undermined and that workers are not coerced into taking their breaks in dirty conditions which will make them ill.

Middleton said that he had tried to meet with James Swindlehurst, the Labour leader of Slough Borough Council, but that Swindlehurst has so far refused any meeting.

Nolan’s hearing is scheduled for 1 May, and, if he is dismissed, Unite will move to a formal strike ballot, meaning action may begin in late May or early June and could result in bins going uncollected during the hottest months of the year.

Middleton said: “If our members take strike action this summer there is likely to be a stench in Slough entirely of the council’s own making. Residents worried that their bins won’t be emptied should be angry with the council for creating this mess.

“There is still time to resolve this issue. The council simply needs to drop the trumped up charges against our stewards and drop their plans to force our members to eat their lunch caked in the filth they collect on a daily basis.”

When contacted for comment, Slough Borough Council told Resource: "The allegations against Mr Nolan, put forward by several members of staff, include bullying and harrassment. We, as the council, take any allegations of this sort very seriously and have launched an investigation as per our policy. Suspension is a neutral act, designed to ensure an investigation can take place without constraint and the investigations continue. We will not pre-empt the hearing next week nor will our actions and investigation be affected by threats of strike action.

“The vast majority of our environmental services workforce do not belong to the Unite union and we are confident, should strike action go ahead, we can continue to provide the usual bin collection service for our residents.”

A number of local authorities have faced strikes over waste management services in recent months; Birmingham City Council was subject to five months of industrial action last year which saw rubbish piling up in the streets and cost the council £6.6 million, after plans to make 113 refuse collectors redundant were revealed. More recently, Unite-affiliated workers in Thurrock reached called off planned strikes over the installation of 360-degree cameras on waste collection vehicles, with the council agreeing to strict terms about how the cameras will be used.