South Tyneside Council and GMB row over bin strike independent investigation outcome

South Tyneside Council has refuted a social media post from GMB over the outcome of its independent investigation into allegations of bullying and mismanagement within its Waste Department.

The local authority has stated that the union has publicly shared details of the outcome online when it was made clear to them that it could compromise the appeal process.

On Tuesday, January 23, the Council has hit out at GMB for "misleading" residents in the borough and has clarified its position on the matters raised.

A spokesperson for the Council commented: "GMB issued a communication via social media on Monday, January 22, 2024, in relation to the ongoing industrial action and investigation outcome.

"The contents of this communication are misleading and South Tyneside Council would like to clarify a number of matters raised and set out our position.

"The residents of South Tyneside deserve to know the facts.

"Any grievance like the one raised in Waste Services is treated as confidential for the benefit of all parties involved and the Council has made every effort to respect that process.

"However, communication such as GMB’s recent statement risks undermining internal processes such as any appeal, which should be considered without external pressure on those who are required to consider them.

"The Council made it clear to Trade Unions upon the sharing of the outcome report that if any of the contents of that report were shared publicly, there was a potential for the appeal process to be compromised.

"The Council thought that this was well understood by all parties. The GMB’s actions may put at risk the viability of any appeal process.

"To date, the council has held back from commenting in detail to ensure that the full and thorough investigation was not prejudiced in any way.