A BUSY programme of summer events could be disrupted by a bitter council dispute with its street cleaners.

Litter pickers working for Caerphilly council have voted to strike this Friday and the following Monday after the latest bout of talks aimed at solving the deadlock over bonus pay broke down.

This is on top of a work-to-rule and overtime ban the workers started two weeks ago.

The strike action couldn't have come at a worse time for the council, which is looking to attract nearly 100,000 people to the Big Cheese Festival in Caerphilly this weekend.

The council are employing agency workers to cover the event but union officials have warned other attractions such as next month's Big Balloon Festival and Blackwood Carnival could be hit by litter because of the industrial action.

Mike Payne, regional organiser with the GMB union which represents the litter pickers, claims the council surreptitiously inserted a clause into the contracts of employees taken on after January 2001 that cut their bonus pay by £20.

"The council have made a slightly improved offer but the workers have decided they want to move towards discontinuous action which is a series of one day strikes - the first being this Friday and the second being the following Monday, which will be cleaning up day after the Big Cheese Festival," said Mr Payne.

"This is going to be a messy period because there will not be anyone to clean it up. Aesthetically, it is not going to look good."

He added: "If the council employ agency workers as cover, then how can they find money for that but not to pay 81 individuals just £4 a day more?"

Union members will be planning to picket refuse depots at Penmaen and Tir y Berth as part of the action.

The cabinet member for the environment, Councillor Paul Ford, said: "There have been numerous meetings between the council and trade union representatives to seek to achieve a negotiated settlement, and these have included representatives of ACAS.

"The council is bitterly disappointed at the stance, particularly as the offer of binding independent arbitration was and continues to be available to resolve the matter.

"The council is making alternative arrangements to cover various events, including the Big Cheese."