Bin crews have voted to go on strike if talks with Brighton and Hove City Council fail to settle a dispute over proposed changes to working practices.
The GMB union said: “Cityclean workers hope to resolve issues through ongoing discussions.
“More than a hundred Brighton refuse workers based at the Hollingdean depot have voted for industrial action with the potential to walk out on strike should negotiations fail.
“The vote for industrial action was passed with a 92 per cent majority.
“Workers were balloted for potential action after raising concerns about an ongoing consultation which includes changes to normal working practices.
“GMB members have a number of unanswered questions about how new processes would work, their implementation and requesting reviews of any changes to ensure they work for staff and residents.
“Strike dates have not yet been announced due to ongoing negotiations with Cityclean management around the consultation changes.”
The changes are understood to affect staff who collect rubbish and recycling rather than those who work in street cleaning.
GMB senior organiser Lib Whitfield said: “GMB members are concerned about a number of issues in the consultation and lack of process clarification.
“We reached out to the council before moving to a formal ballot to avoid any potential dispute escalation affecting members and residents of Brighton and Hove.
“GMB has met with the council and has further talks planned so we decided not to issue a strike notice to allow for these talks to continue.
“We have committed to work with the council to ensure the best resolution of our members concerns and to avoid any action.
“GMB hope to resolve members concerns without any industrial action but members have protected themselves through normal industrial processes by voting for action as a last resort should they need.”
The council said: “We’re committed to working constructively and directly with our trade unions.
“We see this as a vital part of continuing the progress towards a number of much-needed improvements within our Cityclean service.
“We’re currently engaged in talks with the GMB that we believe are very constructive.
“We very much hope to be able to arrive at agreements on the issues the GMB have expressed concerns about without the need for strike action.”
What possible changes could they mean? Wishing someone would clarify! You get out the truck wheel a bin to the back of the truck push a button empty bin, return bin get back in truck move on and repeat. Don’t get me wrong I have lots of respect for refuse cleaners but I constantly struggle to work out what’s so difficult.
to continue working when the truck is full and returned to depot
Back to the 70’s “I’m alright Jack”. Give the job to East Europeans , they”ll show you work ethic.
That site is a textbook example of toxic unionism. Which is really unfortunate at a time when unions should be supported against this awful government.
If you want ‘toxic’ and ‘unionism’ just read the quite simply horryfying report about the Union practices at the depot. Obviously very little has changed.
Not sure what the issue is, usually it’s about refusing to work with another crew and being flexible to respond to staff shortages. If Derek is stating its because they are asked to continue working after the trucks full, why should that be an issue. Aren’t they paid to work a shift not to fill up the truck.
I agree with the other comment, these workers are toxic and as a union support I have no sympathy or feel any support for them after reading about the racism, sexism, homophobia and bullying ( not to mention weapons found on site) identified in the recent barristers report commissioned by current members.
Dave can you do this round today because Jim is sick… No it’s an outrageous demand I only do my route … Basically that’s what it boils down to
Come on then, Bella, you instigated the report about the toxic praxtices at the depot, which made very horrifying reading to many of us, and you vowed to sort it. Obviously, you haven’t sorted anything , because we now have the same old stuff rearing its head yet again. Sort it, at zero cost to we taxpayers, or just go – that’s your choice.
Resigning your membership of the GMB might be s positive way to start.
I think the refuse collectors will learn there is little symapthy for another strike from the residents of Brighton and Hove, (especially after the scandalous report about Union practices). How long does citycleans contract last, because I wouldn’t renew it.
If they don’t renew the contract there will still be the same problem because of TUPE meaning legally a new contractor legally has to transfer over all the existing staff
If they don’t want the work for goodness sake get rid of the bunch of wasters and give the job to someone who will genuinely benefit from it.
Back to the 70’s “I’m alright Jack”. Give the job to East Europeans , they”ll show you work ethic.
I don’t think they had much sympathy last time round, Nathan, but what residents think doesn’t seem to have anything to do with it. The only voice residents seem to have is via the ballot box and, apart from the two pending by-elections in KT and QP, which will have no effect on Labour’s stranglehold on everything however they turn out, we are helpless victims as usual. Refuse collectors ‘learning’ anything at all is a novel concept though.
Far as I know, there isn’t a contract with CityClean (although there is one with Veolia or someone for recycling, which is so long that we can’t get out of it) because they’re a council department. The CityClean lot are just council employees as far as I am aware – although undoubtedly someone will put me straight if I’m wrong.
Will drive my binbags to hollingdean depot entrance each week
Not exactly unexpected, after all they have SFA to offer as regards work ethic, GMB and any Union councillors should be excluded from any and every decision process that includes their Union, BIASED BASED is the exclusion reason,
They’re going on strike again?
As I have gone through a second week when they haven’t bothered to collect our household waste I thought they were on strike already?
That’s thing with Brighton’s Boremen!
You can’t tell the difference between them being on not being on strike!!!
Stand strong council and don’t give in to the GMB, they are toxic. Let us hope one day the contract can be awarded to the private sector and bins can actually be collected on the day they are supposed to… if the GMB have legitimate concerns why not say what they are. I remember when they refused to stand for one section of their members over pay and conditions because the waste collection operatives carried more weight on strike. They also opposed equal pay rules and stated their members deserve more than others
Well there’s a shocker…. Brighton and Hove people have NO empathy with this bunch donkeys…
They don’t do the bins on time anyway.
Always excuse after excuse
Will a strike help…No
Donkeys could do the job faster with less complaints and be more “green” in the process, actually I think donkeys would be offended by this comparison to the Unions
Here we go again. Didn’t the KC report comment that no one can manage the service or enact any change due to the constant threat of industrial action? GMB responds by threatening industrial action. What do you actually want? Your starting to come across as spiteful and petty. Advise your members that they need to just get on with their jobs, empty our bins and as a union sort yourselves out and address some of the behaviours that have been exposed.
I thought they were onstrike already judging by the state of my street
I’ll second that Jon, this is the 3rd day Fourth Avenue hasn’t had a collection.
The last strike is still fresh in our minds. Let’s get ready for the repeated assertions that “This isn’t about pay it’s about being treated fairly and having better working conditions” – which all seemed to disappear when they got a 20% odd pay rise.
On that. Any issues now would’ve been a factor during the last strike which were either something they demanded or that they agreed to be a part of the last settlement/ payoff. Perhaps something along the lines of: In return for this massive pay hike, when millions of others have lost their jobs & pay rises across the board are being cancelled or substantially limited, you agree that XYZ new working practices will need to be introduced so as to offset the huge burden your insanely high pay hike places on the taxpayers of the city who are struggling to survive and don’t have the privilege of getting a high double digit pay out.’. – obviously none of us get to see the details as both parties likely wanted to hide it from those of us actually paying for it but I reckon this is pretty near the mark. On those basis their issues with something they asked for, knew about for sometime and/ or previously agreed to they’ve got no legitimate basis to try extort more from us now. And I’ll prompt the “Noooooooo. This is a totally new thing”. I’ll counter that it being implemented now doesn’t mean it’s new OR put simply. You entitled, privileged lot got a double digit pay rise pretty recently, something most could only dream about, so how about you suck it up & take the time to reach the moral realisation of ‘Maybe we kinda owe this to the taxpayers who’re providing us that big chunk in our pay packets while they struggle themselves’;
Whilst you’re at it. The bins at the 7 dials end of Montpelier Road have been a deasies spreading, overflowing mess with tens of bags spilled out around the path for days. Just like when you were on strike so how about you stop leaving the city looking like you’re on strike before you are.
Union are needed now more than ever people just remember how many people working that have good to great working conditions can thank the behind the seens negotiations that unions do. For example anyone on a JNC are getting good rates fair working condition thanks to the unions doing this on thier behalf
Yes unions in general may be a force for good but the gmb involved at the bin depot have been exposed as a a bad bunch and threatening a strike again over vague issues that dont really seem to be issues at all so soon after their horrific behaviour was highlighted in a report proves it.
GMB just victim blame and have no interest in combating racism , sexism , homophobia. One of their reps was sacked for bringing weapons into the depot threatening people so this their revenge. You can’t suspended Mark Turner and not expect a strike.
Are they not being open about what their concerns are? What are these changes they oppose?
Like most people, having had three missed collections already this year, I’m only surprised to learn they weren’t already striking.
I’d just like them to take away the recycling, but I’m pretty sure they’ll refuse to, because passers by have added their litter to our recycling box while its been sat outside our house for three weeks.
Why are over half the bin lorries off the road? If this is because of sabotage, that is a criminal offence and needs to be reported to the police.
I understand that the police are investigating but it’s hard to prove when the majority of the sabotage is carried out on the rounds or at the backs of trucks in the dark in areas of the depot that the cctv doesn’t capture. They have decades of practice of pre strike disruption so know what they are doing.
I worked there as an agency driver and I can tell you it’s so toxic there, swearing at each other is the norm…..soon as you walk in there the union is on you to sign up.
I understand that the police are investigating but it’s hard to prove when the majority of the sabotage is carried out on the rounds or at the backs of trucks in the dark in areas of the depot that the cctv doesn’t capture. They have decades of practice of pre strike disruption so know what they are doing.
Clear out this rats nest once and for all. De recognise the GMB. Oh I forgot they are the Labour Party paymasters.
Looking at upper lewes Road with bags overflowing the bins and street you’d be mistaken that the strike has already begun
OK then, Bella Sankey, you spent something like a quarter million on the KC report, which exposed shocking, practices and ‘culture’ at the bin depot, you and your colleagues accepted it in full and claimed that you were dealing with it and there would be regular updates to residents on progress. Since then, all we’ve really heard is that something or other requires months of consultation, so we’re no further forward than we were. A reported improvement in collections some months back quickly dematerialised and we’re now pretty much back to where we were before. You need to step up fast, like now, and engage with residents, but you’ve said nothing so far. You can’t blame this on Tory Government cuts, although I’m sure you’ll try to.
Leading is about taking responsibility and effective positive action. If you can’t do that, then you should go. Your main interest at present seems to be switching to a cabinet system, which makes your life easier and stifles any pretence of democracy.
In this particular matter (bins/GMB), why would residents of any political hue, or no hue at all, have any confidence whatsoever in a council leader who’s a GMB member herself? Rhetorical question obviously, but you don’t do the leader’s job for free so we are entitled to query what you are doing for our money. Not a lot by the looks of it.
Time to allow residents to choose a discount to council tax and engage an alternative refuse management company?
Start with blocks of flats as residents could do this all together. In fact council owned blocks of flats could go out to tender for refuse services.
Once demand has dropped redundancies can be made at the GMB refuse service, and we can move forward from there.
Unless you could also put the gmb out to tendor or make them redundant im not sure much will change.
That sounds like the germ of a good idea, Chris., but it might be too radical for the council (re the discount anyway). Any idea if there are other council areas doing similar?
As for Trev above, this thread is not about unions in general -it’s specifically about the GMB at the B&H bin depot, which is an entirely different thing.