Barnet's bin, recycling and street cleaning workers vote on strike action from 11 November to 9 December, UNISON says. No strike dates have been set.

Barnet’s bin, recycling and street cleaning workers will vote on strike action from Wednesday 11 November. The ballot closes on Wednesday 9 December. UNISON announced the dates in a statement on 5 November.

No strike dates have been set, and your bins will be collected as normal while the vote runs.

The dispute is about holiday pay. The union says the council can still avoid a strike by making what it calls a fair offer.

What the dispute is about

UNISON says that for twelve years, while Capita ran the council’s payroll, staff who regularly worked overtime got holiday pay that left the overtime out. The error was put right when payroll moved to a new provider in 2025, the union says.

It describes the claim as “back pay for work already done, not a pay claim”.

Where the two sides stand, according to UNISON:

  • The workers proposed a six-year settlement, paid in instalments. They accept they would not get the full twelve years back.
  • The council rejected that and has restated its offer of 18 months.

The council’s offer has moved since the summer. In August it was six months, and depot workers voted 100% to reject it in a consultative ballot. The union’s 12 October statement said the council called 18 months its final offer, and described it as reasonable and affordable.

“We would much rather settle this round a table than on a picket line,” said Dennis Moses, UNISON’s Street Scene Convenor. “My members have already compromised. We’re asking the council to meet us in the middle, put a fair offer on the table and fix the problem before Christmas.”

Barnet Council has not published a response that we could find. Its website blocks automated reading, so we could not check its news page directly. We will add the council’s position when we have it.

What happens next

  • Wednesday 11 November: the statutory ballot opens.
  • Wednesday 9 December: the ballot closes.

Only a statutory ballot like this one can authorise a lawful strike. If members vote for action, the union must then give the council notice before any strike starts. That means no strike could begin until after 9 December, close to Christmas.

This is a separate dispute from the one at The Barnet Group, where UNISON members in housing and care services struck on 27 October over pay and pensions.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes yet. Collections run as normal during the ballot. Your days are on our bin collection days page.
  • Watch for 9 December. That is when the result is due. A vote for action would be the first point at which collections over Christmas could be at risk.
  • Christmas collection dates are a separate question. The council has not yet published its holiday changes, and we will add them to the bin page when it does.

We will report the ballot result and any settlement.