REFUSE workers at Warrington Borough Council will strike from tomorrow (Tuesday) in a dispute over pay.
The strike will last until Monday October 16 although Unite the Union is not ruling out further action.
The 50 plus workers have rejected the national pay offer of a flat rate increase of £1,925. The offer is below the rate of inflation and amounts to a real terms pay cut.
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Our members play an essential role keeping their community clean. They are not going to accept a real terms pay cut when the workforce already can’t make ends meet.
“Unite never takes a backward step in supporting its members and is dedicated to enhancing their jobs, pay and conditions.
A survey of Unite members in local authorities, has highlighted how years of pay freezes and below inflation pay deals has resulted in workers facing desperate financial choices. The survey found:
• Nearly half (48 per cent) have struggled to afford heating, electricity and water bills
• 30 per cent have struggled to afford food and clothing
• Almost a quarter (23 per cent) are skipping meals to save money
• 17 per cent have struggled to meet rent and mortgage payments
• Six per cent have been forced to use food banks.
The national bargaining agreement for local government sets out minimum standards but local authorities can agree better terms and conditions for workers if they wish.
Unite regional officer, Brian Troake said: “Our members have suffered a 25 per cent cut to their wages in real terms over the last 13 years.
“Warrington council’s leadership team need to stop hiding behind the national pay negotiations and meet with Unite to resolve this dispute.”
A borough council spokesperson said: “We anticipate a small level of disruption due to this strike action, with the majority of expected disruption, albeit minor, affecting our waste services, though most day-to-day services are expected to continue as normal.
“We respect the national collective pay bargaining process, but we are also working to ensure the continuity of services to our residents throughout the industrial action period.
“We may not be able to provide entirely the same levels of service during this time, but please continue to put your bins out as normal for collection days. During this expected minor disruption, we will prioritise the collection of household waste (black bins) and recycled waste (blue bins).”
8 Comments
so what are BINMEN on per annum then?, not exactly a HARD job is it hey.
DO WE THE RESIDENTS OF WARRINGTON GET A ***COUNCIL TAX*** REDUCTION FOR TAKING OUR OWN RUBBISH TO HOUSEHOLD REFUGE TIPS THEN? its our own time WASTED, queuing in probably GRIDLOCKED **TIPS** DUE TO THE STRIKE AND WILL COST US IN **FUEL** ASWELL !!
BE NO MORE **CHRISTMAS TIPS** FROM ME NOW!
DO BINMEN DECLARE CHRISTMAS TIPS WITH W.B.C.?????
binmen earn between £17,000 for a new starter to around £25,000 for an experienced worker. hours are 40 per week. shifts can be anything from early to late evening including weekends and bank holidays. if they do an eight hour shift that would be five days of work.
think about how heavy your bin is next time you put it out and then think what it would be like lugging weighty bins about, even with wheels, for eight hours a day in all weathers. hard work even for the fittest members of our society. add to that the aroma of rubbish when they are emptied at the tip and it is a job that most people would not even consider.
i for one would not do the job for twice the money.
well yeah, especially when some people robbing a wage in some places, they deserve at least 28k a year then!
id do it for 40k a year…lol..i really would
Not like the old days when they had to physically move bin bags and the old bins.
They don’t even put your bin back where they found it.
On a good wage to start .
We pay for this service so get your job done
The move a heavy weight around for 8 hours per day in wind, rain and heat. They walk an average of 6 miles behind the vehicle too. Haven’t had a decent pay rise in years and some comments on here try and make them sound lazy and greedy?!
They do a great job and deserve a fair pay
think 3k wage rise is fair