The city is bracing itself for three more day-long bin strikes starting next week after pay talks once again broke down.
The GMB,which represents many CityClean staff, today met with Brighton and Hove City Council officers in the latest round of pay talks which centre on how much bin lorry drivers are paid.
However, the talks have ended without any resolution, and futher strikes have now been called on next Thursday 25 September, Tuesday, 30 September and Wednesday, 3 October from 12.01am until 10.59am over all three days.
Mark Turner GMB Branch Secretary said: “We’re very disappointed that once again we’ve attended a meeting with the council and they have been unable to show any willingness to meaningfully seek a resolution of this dispute.
“We have once again re-iterated to management that we don’t simply seek more money, for the position or grade that drivers currently hold, but that if they incorporate the additional personal and operational management responsibilities into the drivers role which we have pointed out to them, they would see an improved, more efficient and cost effective service as a result.
“Unfortunately to date management are refusing to discuss, consult on or even acknowledge our proposal, so our members have been left with no other option and we have to issue further notice of industrial action.
“We of course remain open to any continuation of dialogue with the council on this matter, but as they are remaining intransigent in not discussing the matter, it is not going to see this dispute end unfortunately any time soon.
“Whilst we understand the inevitable effect this further issuing of dates for further industrial action will have upon the people and businesses of the city, we hope residents will continue with the generally high level of positive support and comments, which members have reported to us they have been receiving on a daily basis and our assurance that we are doing everything we can to resolve the issue quickly, but that ultimately we need willingness from the council for that to happen.”
A statement on the council’s internal website reads: “[The council was] unable to meet their demands of increasing the pay of refuse and recycling charge hand drivers as there have been no changes to these roles and this would break with our job evaluation scheme.
“The discussions will continue but as no resolution was made the industrial action is going ahead.”
So the drivers will be striking from 12.01am until 10.59am on each day – this seems strange timing. Considering they don’t normally start collections until 06.00am each day, does this mean the drivers normally complete their work in 5 hours?
Or have I got this all wrong?
I think I’d like to understand a bit more about the ‘high stress’ the refuse operatives suffer from working 5 hour days. Are the refuse operators paid for 8 hours but manage to complete it in 5? Sounds like significant over-manning and restrictive working practices with no performance measures!
Please, anyone, correct me if I’ve got this wrong – I’d just like to understand precisely what the ‘skilled, unpleasant, and stressful’ work actually is.
I thought Management usually get called into do the work when there is a strike or are they all only capable of riding a bicycle.Surely you should only be able to manage somebody if you know how to do the job yourself.
As usual, the GMB slabberings make little sense. They’re demanding a pay rise because the bin lorry drivers are annoyed that various women have been given pay rises, finally ending decades of phallocratic inequality. Why are the GMB against equal pay for men and women? Don’t they have any female members?
Mark Turner appears to be trying to smoke-and-mirror his way out of it by demanding that the binmen have their jobs assigned to a different pay grade, even though no extra duties have been assigned to them.
Quite rightly, B&HCC are refusing to countenance this twaddle.
What next, will the GMB be demanding payrises for white men who are outraged that black men earn the same as them?