Moves by councillors to force the authorities to restore Bray UDC's refuse service are unlikely to be successful, the town clerk said yesterday, as a strike by staff entered its second day.
The council's 10 refuse collectors were joined by the UDC's other 45 outdoor workers on picket lines at six locations.
The workers walked out on Tuesday when they returned after the holidays to find the council's two bin lorries had been returned to a leasing company.
The collections ceased on December 31st, the town clerk, Mr Tom Murphy, said, as councillors had failed to provide funding.
An annual charge of £200 per household was included in the draft estimates but was excluded from the final estimate by the councillors. At least two private contractors have started collections in the town this week.
The removal of the refuse trucks represented a forced change in the working conditions of the refuse collectors, SIPTU branch secretary Mr John O'Brien said. The UDC's actions had precipitated the strike by the outdoor staff, he added.
A section four motion, by four councillors, instructing the Wicklow county manager to restore the service, is on the agenda for Tuesday's UDC meeting.
Mr Murphy is taking legal advice on the matter but he did not believe the UDC bin collection service would be restored. The estimates process was completed in November and did not provide funding, he said.
The UDC had written twice to householders informing them of the council's decision to discontinue the service, he said, and he understood the majority of customers had signed up with private contractors.
The UDC no longer had refuse trucks, Mr Murphy added. "The economics of the whole issue have not changed since November and I cannot see how this local authority can compete with the rates being offered by private operators."
Mr Murphy insisted the jobs of the refuse collectors were safe. They had the option of being redeployed to other sections of the UDC's operations or accepting redundancy.
The pickets were not affecting the UDC's services, Mr Murphy said.