Overview
- The 40-page confidential file titled Waste Dispute Resolution Pathways was revealed on Thursday and set out options to end a 19-month waste workers’ dispute, saying dismissal was the only option that met all objectives and advising any sacking occur immediately after the May local elections.
- The document was drafted by senior statutory officers and was presented in March to then council leader John Cotton with senior executives including Katy Fox, Rishi Shori and Tony Cox present.
- Unite general secretary Sharon Graham condemned the plan as an "abhorrence" and called for action to finalise a settlement, while opposition councillors demanded a full independent investigation and the Conservatives urged ministerial intervention.
- Council managing director Joanne Roney and lead commissioner Tony McArdle defended the paper as a comprehensive options appraisal that does not endorse dismissal as the preferred outcome and said officers continue to pursue a negotiated settlement.
- The leak risks deepening public distrust over officer and commissioner conduct, could trigger an independent inquiry and may shift political focus toward rebuilding relations with the workforce and ending months of disruption to rubbish collection.