LONDON, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Refuse Collectors employed by Copeland Council in Whitehaven are to take all out strike action from 27th May in a dispute concerning their working hours.

A National Agreement for Local Government Workers reached in 1997 ensured that all workers would have a 37 hour working week. Ten years later Copeland Council have offered to reduce the Refuse Collectors Standard week to an average of 37 hours from their present 40-45, but have demanded that workers would not have a proper finish time and that they could be scheduled for up to 9 hours or more a day.

The workers have voted overwhelmingly to reject this and as the Council would not back down they have voted to take strike action from 0700 on the 27th May.

Alan McGuckin, Unite Regional Industrial Organiser, said: "This agreement was supposed to decrease the amount of time these hard working employees spent at work but the Council is proposing to increase the working day. There would be no guaranteed finishing time and it would be impossible to make any arrangements outside of work for either family responsibilities or social events.

"This is not about money, it is about quality of life for the workers."

Notes to editors:

Unite members will be on the picket line at Moresby depot, Moresby Industrial estate from 7am on Tuesday 27th May.

For further information contact Unite on +44-1228-522878