Over 40 FCC bin workers strike Monday 26 to Friday 30 October. Unite cites pay below Redbridge and heatstroke; the council says FCC has a contingency plan.
Havering’s bin crews are due to strike for five days next week, from Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October. More than 40 loaders and drivers are involved.
They work for FCC Waste Management, the company that collects Havering’s rubbish and recycling under contract to the council. Their union, Unite, announced the strike on Friday 16 October. It warned of “major disruption to bin collections”.
The council takes a different view. On Monday 19 October it said FCC has contingency plans “to ensure waste and recycling collections remain uninterrupted”. Talks are still going on, so the strike could yet be called off.
Why the crews are striking
Unite says the workers have raised the same problems with management since FCC took over the contract in 2023. Its release lists:
- excessive workloads, with overtime routinely needed to finish rounds
- fatigue
- working through this summer’s heatwaves, when the union says some loaders suffered heatstroke and other boroughs cut working days short
- vehicle safety and welfare
- short staffing: Unite says new housing has been built but the number of rounds and workers has not grown to match
- agency workers told they would get permanent contracts that have not come
The union also compares pay with Redbridge, next door.
| Role, new starter | Havering | Redbridge |
|---|---|---|
| Loader | £12.88 an hour | £15.72 an hour |
| Driver | £17.24 an hour | £19.89 an hour |
Unite says Havering loaders will be paid 17% less than the new London Living Wage of £15.45 an hour. These are the union’s figures. FCC has not published its own pay rates, and the council’s statements do not dispute or confirm them.
“Our members don’t want residents to face disruption to bin collections, but it is the consequence of FCC failing to resolve these problems,” said Nick West, Unite’s regional officer.
What the council says
The council issued two statements in four days, both from Councillor Martynas Cekavicius, the cabinet member for public realm.
The first, on 16 October, urged FCC and Unite to settle. The second, on 19 October, gave more detail:
- council officers are meeting FCC’s management every day
- FCC’s head office was on site on Monday 19 October to meet union representatives
- the council meets FCC on Tuesday 20 October about Unite’s concerns over working in extreme heat
- the council “will continue to review its contractual provisions with FCC”, but “the Council’s position remains unchanged”
The statement does not say what that position is. Nor does it say how the contingency plan works: who would collect, or which rounds might be affected.
What it means for you
For now, nothing changes. Put your sacks out as normal on your collection day, by 7am, at the edge of your property. Our Romford bin collection days page has the full rules.
If a collection is missed during the strike week:
- report it on the council’s missed collection form by 5pm on the next working day, the usual deadline
- check the council’s roads with missed collections list on its rubbish and recycling page
The council has not yet said whether the normal missed-collection rules will apply during the strike. It says it will publish updates “through the Council’s channels”. The strike week is also October half term.
We will update this story if the strike is called off or if the council publishes collection arrangements for the week.
Sources
- Unite the Union, Bin strike in Havering as workers act over unbearable conditions, 16 October 2026
- London Borough of Havering, Response to the FCC Waste Management Strike Action, 16 October 2026
- London Borough of Havering, Response to FCC Waste Management Strike Action, 19 October 2026
- London Borough of Havering, Report a missed collection
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