Residents, politicians and tourists urged Tower Hamlets council to urgently reach a deal in the pay dispute as bags containing rotting food and discarded nappies lay in mounds up to 6ft-high in some roads. Residents reported rats swarming the rubbish in the tourist hot spot of Shoreditch.
Unite union members walked out on September 18 over pay and conditions.
It was originally scheduled to be a fortnight of industrial action but, when a deal could not be reached, they extended the strike until October 15.
This morning Tower Hamlets town hall put a fresh deal to the union, which will be voted on.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "I am concerned about the impact this rubbish crisis will be having on residents, tourists and businesses. I urge Tower Hamlets council to work with the union to find an urgent solution." Minister for London Paul Scully said the mess had to be cleaned up as soon as possible. He told the Standard: "The first thing people think about regarding council services is getting their bins emptied. Residents and visitors alike will be appalled and put off by the rubbish piling up on the streets. The unions and councils need to stay in the room together until a fair agreement is sorted.
This story is from the September 26, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 26, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kylie Minogue loves the bar at Louie, startling Beefeaters and snooping in The Conran Shop
Currently it’s largely suitcase-based as I’ve been doing so much travel for work, but Melbourne, Australia, is home.
Are Spurs willing to invest what it takes to win trophies?
Criticism of the manager for the club's struggles misses the point-whatever he says, he's not been given a squad ready to push for the biggest honours
Crowning glory awaits Britain's golden girl
Odds-on favourite to win BBC Sports Personality, Keely Hodgkinson never doubted she was ready to conquer the world
Residents at war over £10 billion 'Shanghai-style' Earl's Court plan
Controversial proposals are causing a huge furore in west London
The secrets of selling the capital's £40m homes
Armed security, NDAs, a gold temple...inside the world of ultra high-end property deals
Jenny Packham on Amsterdam why is truly magical at Christmas time
The designer gets lost in the cobbled streets and is entranced by the city’s twinkling lights and unique spirit
Alfies Antique Market
Here is a place to blindly lose oneself in a labyrinth of staircases and thresholds.
Decline and fall: what comes after peak wellness?
The social elite are obsessed with devices that track their health but the backlash is building
The newest AI can arrange your holiday- but will it be a strictly woke one?
A lightning-quick artificial megabrain with an appetite for social justice? WILLIAM HOSIE has a chat with Claude Al
'Fame just isn't healthy
Mercury Prize-winning band English Teacher on the pressure of success, trying not to burn out and the challenges black women face in indie music