Drivers walked off the job at the start of November after six months of discussion with the government contractor calling for a pay rise.

Transport Worker's Union ACT branch secretary Klaus Pinkas said negotiations hadn't budged since June and argued the employer's offer wasn't "high enough given it is an extremely profitable contract".

The drivers have been pushing for a 4 per cent pay rise each year over the next three years.

Suez has responded with an offer of 2 per cent in April and a further 3 per cent in 2022 and again in 2023, an offer it says is reasonable given the economic impact of the pandemic.

A Suez spokesman said a 4 per cent increase was "at odds with the Reserve Bank's wage growth forecast of well below 2 per cent over the next two years".

"All divisions across Suez have taken action to adjust to the vastly altered economic landscape in which we are all living in order to ensure the longer-term economic sustainability of our business," he said.

"These steps include no CPI salary increase for salaried employees in 2020 and alternative working arrangements, including a reduction in hours for many employees."

Mr Pinkas argued the company made the same profit from its government contract despite coronavirus, accusing SUEZ of "taking advantage of the pandemic".

Rubbish collection has been missed and delayed in several Canberra suburbs as drivers have stopped work for the past three Mondays.

This week, it will be felt across most of the city from Woden and Tuggeranong to Gungahlin, Belconnen and the Inner-North.

Tuesday's collection in 20 suburbs will be delayed, 19 suburbs will miss out on rubbish collection this week on Wednesday and another 22 suburbs will be skipped on Thursday.

Mr Pinkas said drivers were disappointed industrial action was impacting the public but said it was a last resort, and might happen again.

Drivers currently have until Friday to continue their strike.

"This is the only way [the drivers] see this moving along," he said.

"Hopefully the company puts another offer on the table."

The Suez spokesman said it was hoped an agreement could be reached at a meeting with union representatives on Wednesday.

READ MORE: The suburbs affected as garbage truck driver strike enters third week

Temporary drop-off sites have been set-up throughout the city, and almost 9000 households have taken up the alternative option so far.

ACT No Waste executive branch manager Anthony Haraldson said the system in place during the strike tried to prevent suburbs from missing out on rubbish collection two weeks in a row.

He said collection had been skipped rather than pushed back a day as bins in need of emptying would pile up, and weekend collection couldn't be guaranteed.

Drivers are not required to work on Saturdays, and Mr Haraldson said if collection was pushed back it would cause confusion if there was too few workers to catch up on missed suburbs.