The waste management company was given 48 hours by the council to come up with a satisfactory plan to resume its service, following the sacking of half its workforce on Monday.
A spokesman for SITA defended the company’s actions and said: “Following several consultations with the union and the workforce 11 street sweepers were assigned a new route with their own designated area. But despite discussions with them, they decided not to accept the new route and refused to work.”
SITA then suspended the workers and 130 refuse crew went on strike in support of their colleagues all of whom were then sacked.
Leader of the Council Ken Bodfish said: “The company is still required to meet the terms of its contract and deliver to the residents of Brighton and Hove an efficient and reliable refuse collection. If SITA officials do not respond to us within the next 48 hours, then the council reserves the right to serve notice to terminate their contract anytime following the 48 hour period.”
Councillor Bodfish added: “Patience has worn very thin. We are at the “make or break” point with a contract that is clearly not being met.”
GMB union official Gary Smith said SITA had refused the union's offer to try to resolve the dispute via the conciliation service ACAS.
SITA has brought in staff from elsewhere in Sussex to try to run a service – but strikers have occupied SITA's Hollingdean depot preventing the firm from using it and earlier today a protester today chained himself under a dustcart.
A spokesman for SITA said: “Some members of the Brighton workforce have been blocking access to the trucks and so we have not been able to get as many out as we want.”
He added: “We want to retain the service and we have done everything that we could have done to improve the service. We have not lost all of our staff only about half, but we are looking to recruit more. We have not asked the remaining staff to come back to work, they are not striking but they are not working.”
Gavin Hopkins, SITA's regional commercial manager, said: “At the moment we have a limited street cleaning service. The beach and seafront are being kept clean. We are still continuing our contingency plan, the clock is ticking and we have a meeting with the council later today, when we hope to demonstrate we are providing a reasonable service.
“The council suggested we go through ACAS and once we have received a positive approach from the nationally recognised union we are more than happy to sit round the table.”
The local paper, the Brighton Argus, is carrying out an on-line poll to see whether SITA should have its contract terminated and 90% of readers are saying that they should.
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