Talks fail to stop Sandwell binmen’s industrial action
Wednesday 25th August 2010, 11:30AM BST.
Industrial action by binmen was under way in Sandwell today after talks to stave off action over a pay dispute broke down.
The council was notified of a five week programme of walkouts and work to rule after Sandwell Council rejected a second appeal put forward by unions on Monday with the outcome announced to workers today.
New plans for action include proposals for a series of four walkouts planned over the next five weeks. The first strike is on Tuesday with subsequent strikes on September 8, September 16 and September 24.
It is believed action will continue until at least the end of the month. Today binmen were working to rule.
Sandwell residents today said they were horrified at the prospect that bin bags could start to build up in the street as they did throughout July, during the last work to rule. Dinner lady Iris Griffiths, aged 48, of Robert Road, Tipton, said: “The whole thing is a right mess.
“It’s inevitable they won’t finish the collections on time if they are working to rule and that means rubbish will go uncollected.
“I dread to think what kind of impact it will have. I dare say it will encourage rats.”
Brenda Butler, 70, of Brickhouse Road, Rowley Regis, has her bins collected on a Tuesday. She said: “I’m surprised it has come to this. I always thought they would come up with some sort of agreement.
“It is very worrying – we don’t want rubbish in the streets.”
However, the council has assured residents they will do everything in their power to ensure collections take place
Councillor Derek Rowley, Sandwell’s neighbourhoods chief issued an official statement today in which he reassured the public that the council will collect rubbish, with an army of 100 agency staff poised to collect rubbish missed by crews.
He said: “We took another very detailed look the binmen’s Single Status appeal and this further appeal has been rejected.
“Our focus now is on continuing to collect household rubbish from the homes of people in Sandwell.
“Our advice to residents is therefore to continue to put out their rubbish as usual on their normal collection day.
“We have hired temporary workers and believe we can continue to collect waste from all 125,000 or so households in Sandwell.”
Despite his assurances the council has increased the opening hours at its dump for people who want to take away their own rubbish.
The household recycling centre in Shidas Lane, Oldbury, will open an open an hour earlier from 7am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 4pm Saturday to Sunday.
Unions GMB and Unite cancelled industrial action at the eleventh hour last Wednesday to reopen talks with the council.
Leaders said they were hopeful the council would relent and allow them a further appeal on single status wage bands, which will see most members lose £2,900.
An initial appeal earlier this year failed.
Most Commented
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
Sack the lot of them.
Report abuse
No, don’t sack the lot, employ a few more. That way, some more people get jobs, and these guys don’t have to put in the unpaid overtime and stuff that the council’s forcing them to accept at the moment.
Report abuse
Nope I say sack the lot and recruit a workforce who are prepared to do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. The current work shy lot are beyond useless and have the front to whinge and moan when their perks are taken away. There are plenty of honest people who are out of work. I’m sure that Sandwell or Serco will have no problem replacing the current crop of wasters.
Report abuse
I agree. I’m sure these people manipulate the rate of emptying the bins so that overtime is needed to accomplish what should be done in normal time. This is a Union remember; they are not concerned about the customer, only what they are paid.
Report abuse
Interesting. It’s all ‘oh the council are mad’ when it comes to people getting fined for feeding ducks, spending tax money on hideous art gallerys and so on, yet when workers for the council stand up for better pay, conditions and hours, you lot have a moan?
I hope you don’t ever get into a dispute with your employers, no one to stand up for you lot!
Report abuse
I reckon they should sack the lot of them! There are loads of people out of work at the moment who could easily do their jobs and not moan about the pay!!!
Report abuse
they should sack the lot of them .theres plenty of men in sandwell who would jump at that job
Report abuse
No there aren’t plenty of men who’ll jump at the job; there’s plenty lying about on their backsides moaning about this, while claiming their dole check. That’s something totally different.
Report abuse
If they don’t like the pay they can leave. Plenty of others who do like the pay can then take the jobs.
Report abuse
What a pathetic comment I could sink to your
level and say if you dont like the service move out of Sandwell but that would be a tad childish !!!!
Report abuse
We have ex-workers at Red Hill Foods in Wednesbury who have just lost their jobs in today’s economic climate I think the binmen’s actions are deplorable.
They all need sacking there’s 300 people in Wednesbury who’ll soon be looking for a job and quite happily at the wages currently being offered!!
Report abuse
How come this one group of workers seem to be able to have multiple appeals against their grading when others have the opportunity for one?
Double standards me thinks !
Presumably if other Council workers who have “lost” threaten to strike they can have the chance for lots of appeals too?
Report abuse
Why do the binmen deserve to lose any money,they can walk between 20-25 mile per day and some crews remove between 20-30 ton of refuse a day,depending on area…ive seen guys come to empty bins and i mean big guys who should eat the job and ive seen many crawl out not to be seen again..all you do gooders who say sack the lot of them only see them take there bins,would’nt even last a day.
Report abuse
You lot make me sick. Let’s see how you would feel if asked to take a £3000 per year pay cut. No one can absorb that loss of money in today’s climate of rip off Britain. Whatever you may think of these workers, they are fighting for their future and are not asking for extra money. I hope you lot are next because; “what goes around comes around”. This sort of loss is going to see workers loosing their homes, many with children. It’s like asking a turky to vote for Christmas. Would you miserable swines except a pay cut that would cost you your home, i think not and would soon squeal like pigs. These are pure VILE, NASTY, STUPID comments just because you are put out. P.S i am not from Sandwell and not biased towards these workers.
Report abuse
I work for a construction design company based in Birmingham and the office was given the choice of either taking a 25% pay cut or the company would have let people go. Everybody decided on the pay cut and not once was a strike mentioned.
That’s the difference between a cushy public sector job and a private sector job!!
Report abuse
jimbo i would love to see you do a binmans job for week coz lets face it you wouldnt know what hit you where as your sitting in your cushy little warm office where as we walk on average 25miles a day taking 1500 bins with us fancy a job swap you muppet
Report abuse
The vitriolic comments for and against this proposed strike are unbelievable.
There are two sides to every story and a compromise would be the best course of action for all concerned.
Don’t judge without knowing the full details or the individuals concerned… Maybe an external company should undertake a time & motion study, making comparisons with nearby council refuse workers to determine a fair rate of pay comparable to others in the industry?
Report abuse
I agree with Woody..dont judge until you know the full details,actually Sandwell binmen are the lowest paid compared to Birmingham,Dudley,Walsall or Wolverhampton
Report abuse
I can remember when we had a very reliable Rubbish collection years ago. The binman collected the one bin (or occasionally two) from the back of the house without any grumbling; it could be any colour and the lid didn’t have to be fully closed; they emptied it and returned it.
It would be interesting to know how the comparison was made to show the Sandwell binmen are the lowest paid. It’s probably because the Dudlry and Walsall binmen have to empty a better class of rubbish.
Report abuse
I agree with you Frank, but the problem is we the public have made the bin mens jobs easier. People rarely use their bins now, instead putting rubbish in black bags and most even putting them at the edge of the kerb so all that the bin men have to do is come along and put them in the back of the lorry. How many people objected when the decision was made for the binman to stop going to the back of houses – not many? They have had pay rises and bonuses year on year for a job thats got easier for them. Maybe the answer is to give them their payrise and freeze it for however many years to bring it in line. I got a pay rise this year only to be told 2 months later of redundancy, thats life at the moment!!
Report abuse
jimbo you took a pay cut of 25% to save your job? who told you these figure was it the boss by anychance.wonder if he took a 25% pay cut i think not. what is wrong with britain today is unlike our french or german counterparts we do not have a strong manufacturing economy and therefore a weak trade union system. the government comes in and tells us we need to make the small business the backbone of the british economy real terms lets have small group of worker to deal with and therefore keep them on the breadline or minium wage.
i say good luck to the binmen of sandwell hope you win (resident of sandwell). make the top brass of the council take a pay cut at the same rate.if they striked noone would know cos there is no end product.
to many cushy jobs and perks in the council offices. i know that councillors attend meeting for 15 minute just to claim the attendance money not interested in anything unless there is a bung to be had
back to my point jimbo you took a 25% pay cut cos you were either overpaid anyway or your a mug or both
Report abuse
Dear, Woody, Jimbo and everyone else: Indead check for the full facts because many councils across the UK are in the same mess because of ignoring this problem. Since 1972 every Government have broken the equal pay act by not paying wowen the same as men for doing the same kind of job and instead of giving them a pay rise over the years which they deserve, councils are attempting to reduce the pay of male manual workers to pay for this mess and most female workers have recieved very poor pay rises as a result.
Report abuse
bin men ?i only see black bags in our street i call them binmen years ago when there was hot ashes in them ######
Report abuse
i guess speedster you work for sandwell council!!!!! at the end of the day they should be grateful they have still got a job, there are many people out of a job and guess what i bet they have got mortages and kids they have to pay for. my husband has not had a pay rise for the last 2 years But you can not moan about it, you just have to deal with it. like a few people have said sack them all, they will be easily replaced. SANDWELL COUNCIL GET SOME BACK BONE, SACK THE LOT!!!!!!
Report abuse
bin men ? i only see black in our street
Report abuse
why should sandwell bin men take a large wage cut.these guys do a great job collecting rubish.ours never complain about the number of bags we leave for them they dont spill rubish if they do they pick it up.how would you like to pick up stinking bags full of dirty nappies and other things you would not touch when its pouring down.i think they should be payed more,its not a job i could do
Report abuse
Flighty I’m glad you are pleased with your service from Sandwell’s binmen but I’m afraid I have to offer a conflicting view. I live on an estate in Sandwell and share set a communal bins. Every single collection rubbish is left strewn across the floor and it is up to us residents to clear it up. This is not a one off. A neighbour has confronted the binmen asking them to pick up the rubbish and she received nothing but foul language and crude gestures. Quite simply if they did a better job then we would see greater public support but it appears quite evident that the majority of Sandwells experience is similar to my own. Where “sack the lot” may seem harsh and provocative, it’s clearly a viable option given the current economic climate. As refuse collection looks like it’s to be managed by a private sector company I think the current crop of binmen will have more to worry about than a pay cut in the long term. The system will no longer be there’s to buck.
Report abuse
Yes your right Emmie i do work for sandwell council….what our complaint is taking money off us….if like your husband they gave us a pay freeze i dont think anyone would complain,tell me how many people can take between £2900 and £8500 drop in money per annum…and frank please tell me how far your going back,the complaint about binmen…anyone in there situation would do the same
Report abuse
Speedster I’m inclined to agree with Emmie. In essence Sandwell’s binmen have been overpaid for years. They have learned to play the system and now that they have been caught and brought to account they cry foul. It is not ok to bury our heads in the sand and ignore issues when they need to be addressed. If someone has being doing something wrong for the last X number of years that is no excuse to continue on an incorrect path! I’d rather they would see the bigger picture and realise that there are many more in the same boat as them and a great deal more to come. Without wishing to stir a hugely political debate I’d love to know how many voted Tory without really knowing what they were letting themselves in for.
Report abuse
Hi all,
Thanks for all your great comments and support.lol
We are hard working men/women standing up for our monthly wage. I do not believe for one minute anyone would be happy loosing that much money. I don’t think anyone who has commented would lie down and let employers take that much off them.
As for the comment about 1 or 2 bins being taken from back gardens:-
We still collect from back gardens when appropiate. Yet in this day and age who wants to leave their back gates open? Surely more robberies would take place but the bin men would probly take the blame for that aswell as per usual with everthing else that happens. You will find that other councils DO NOT collect from back gardens!! You are so lucky. Roll on Serco when this will change.
We are collecting rubbish from 1,200-1,500 houses a day. With 15-20 tons of rubbish per day per round. With 15 rounds over Sandwell. How can people say we don’t do enough?
Report abuse
“Roll on Serco” hahahahaha…pauses to take a breath…hahahahahaha. I can’t wait for Serco to take over this lot and sort them out. You watch as you’re asked to do twice the work AND take a pay cut! Yup Roll on Serco indeed and sort this bunch of overpaid fools out.
Report abuse
Continued…
To comment on what Councillor Derek Rowley said:-
He has got 100 agency staff. Whos paying for this? Us tax payers. I wonder how much its costing us. More then the money we want back. It just shows how hard we must work per day if they have to bring that many people in.
Report abuse
you lot have got our support from another county council keep up the great work fighing for what’s rightfully yours “your wages” all the best lads
Report abuse
Hi all,thanks for your support rebel staffs binners and everyone like you,Serco worker what job do you do? office job i bet “hahahahaha” take a breath “hahahahah”overpaid i wish, what do you mean twice the work we complete all the work anyway, we are going on wheeliy bins so no more 10 to 15 bags from one house,it will be, one bin at each house (no more take all),no more getting up at 4 going out at 5 coming home at 12, with no breaks you might say,ho 6 hour work i can do that lol, they all say that.SO COME ON SERCO so we can start at 7 till 3 or 8 till 4 with breaks so that looks good to me..
Report abuse
Sandwell binman if by “complete the work” you mean empty half the rubbish over the floor and leave it there to rot, then yes you do indeed “complete the work”. Simply getting round everyone’s house causing a mess is not a job well done and I expect Serco will not stand for this. I too can’t wait for Serco to take over as perhaps then I, along with the majority of Sandwell it seems, can expect our rubbish to be removed in it’s entirety! So yes you can work 8-4, yes you can take breaks but continue with your current standard of service and you’ll soon find yourself with a 100% pay cut! Having worked in both I can tell you private sector management is very different from public and they simply will not tolerate such poor standards.
Report abuse
Well S Hardcastle I dont know where you worked but cant wait for your comments when Serco wont empty your bin because the lid isnt closed properly or take your extra rubbish at christmas !!
Report abuse
S.Hardcastle,Hahahahahaha Is it our fault that you buy 100 bags from pound land for a £1 and they rip when we pick them up no, ho i forgot its is our fault,is it our fault you put your bags out the day before and let the cats and foxs rip them open, ho forgot it is our fault.Yes and i cant wait to serco to come in as well, and the big wide world will come to you as well, because like i said before WHEELIY BINS no more 10 to 15 bags . Like in every job there are good and bad workers but i think we do a good standard of work.,But we well see about the management who nows what its going to be like….COME ON SERCO LOL
Report abuse
LOL, too right baggie,
Then they will be saying they wont take all my bags by my bin,you use too, “i can remember when you come to my back gate to get my bins and bags” THE GOOD OLD DAYS…LOL
Report abuse