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Binmen on strike as pay row continues
Tuesday 31st August 2010, 11:30AM BST.
Binmen in the Black Country today began the first of four walkouts over pay. Around 70 Sandwell Council workers set up a picket line outside their depot in Oldbury.
They gathered at the depot in Shidas Lane at 6am. Waving placards, they then marched to the council house in Freeth Street, Oldbury to continue their demonstration.
Workers notified the council of a five-week programme of walkouts and work to rule after the council rejected a second appeal over a controversial new pay scheme put forward by unions last Monday.
The dispute is over new wage bands introduced under a single status scheme that aims to iron out pay inequalities. Binmen say they stand to lose £2,900 a year.
Brian Rickers, of union Unite, said: “We are protesting because this council is just wrong, and the council has brought this pay dispute on themselves.”
A previous work to rule protest in July cost Sandwell Council £500,000 in agency staff and extra vehicles.
Today at least five dust carts left the Shidas Lane depot while other temporary workers set off on rounds from Waterfall Lane in Cradley Heath.
Darren James, from GMB union added: “We have only had a few cross the picket line, you are looking at 85 to 90 per cent backing here.”
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My bin was emptied this morning!
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fire the lot of them and replace them with polish immigrants who know how to work for a living and be grateful for a fair wage.
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That is a harsh comment and I feel is unjust. Polish people may respect there rates of pay and do a good job but this is Britain and jobs should be for BRITISH!.
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Shame that the British culture seems to be moan and complain all the time rather than getting on with the job !
If the binmen want a rise – get another job !
If they’re unhappy with their pay rates – get another job !
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Yes, British jobs should be primarily for British people. BUT, if these people do not appreciate the fact that they have jobs then their jobs should be forfeit and offered to someone who would be happy to do it for the offered wage. It is no longer the 1970′s and it’s about time these unions dragged themselves out of the past. Work should be for people who can do it without bellyaching all the time!
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What an ignorant view of Polish history and politics you show, antony.
Remember Lech Walesa? Remember he led strikes at the Gdynia shipyard and was a founder member of Solidarity, the trade union that ultimately brought down the communist regime in Poland?
Key words in that paragraph: strikes, trade union, Poland.
If you don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s best to remain silent.
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I TOTALLY AGREE.GET RID OF THESE WASTERS AND GET PEOPLE IN WHO WANT TO WORK.IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE ONE WOULD THINK THAT THE COUNCIL WASTERS WOULD BE GLAD OF A JOB OR MAYBE THEY WANT TO SIGN ON THE DOLE WHICH BY THEIR ACTIONS I THINK THEY ARE RATHER KEEN ON.
I WOULD THINK THAT THE POLISH WORKERS WOULD DO THEIR JOB WITH EASE.LASTLY I CAN ONLY SUGGEST THAT THE COUNCIL WASTERS GET REAL IN TODAYS ECONOMIC CLIMATE AND GET BACK TO WORK AT ONCE THERE ARE 3 MILLION UNEMPLOYED WHO WOULD GLADLY DO YOUR JOB.
WAKE UP AND THINK OF THE SANDWELL RESIDENTS WHO HAVE TO PUT UP WITH YOUR ANTICS.
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HAHAHAHA I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU STAN WE SHOULD BE SO GLAD TO HAVE A JOB YOU SAD SAD SAD MAN,COULD YOU LOSE £70 A WEEK OR £280 MOUTH OUT OFF YOUR DOLE MONEY, IN THIS “TODAYS ECONOMIC CLIMATE” LIKE YOU SAID STAN POLISH WORKS PROBABLY COULD,COULD YOU DO MY JOB DONT THINK SO YOU SAD SAD MAN
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We all hate to loose money(especially in the current climate) BUT…..
-Binmen earn approx. £15-£18K a year
-Student nurses are on approx. £8K(eight)a year
-Care assistant/healthcare support worker approx. £13-£16 a year.
Some healthcare staff have had pay frozen for 2 years & they get my respect because they have`nt refused to treat anyone or set up a picket line.
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If we all went on strike when we were unhappy in our jobs the country would come to a standstill. The bin men by me are useless anyway they leave more rubbish on the floor than in the bins.
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…and if people put up with punishing terms and conditions, being penalised for other people’s failures all the time, and watching as companies don’t take responsibility for their duties of care, we’d all be mindless drones with a dull, boring, stepped-on existence.
Remember – these people choose to work for a living, unlike a large number of people who sit on their bums on the dole; they’re right to stand up for better hours and better conditions.
Yes, it causes nuisance, but that’s what it’s designed to do; I’m continuously surprised by people who get offended by people standing up for their rights at work. What’s wrong with us that we can’t express things collectively?
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We are expressing things collectively, thats why we are all commenting here.
Its because we are not “mindless drones” that we have an opinion & express it;our council tax goes towards paying bin-men so theres no need for people to get offended when they come across other peoples opinions just as people should not get offended when others stand up for their rights on a picket line.
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Quite understood; I’m not getting offended, I’m explaining the other side, since many comments tend to be ‘there’s plenty of people willing to do these jobs’.
Well, there aren’t, otherwise so many people wouldn’t be sitting around watching Trisha all day, and posting on here saying ‘sack ‘em’ and ‘be glad you have a job’.
These guys ARE glad they have a job; more than that they are PROUD they have a job, and they’re standing up when they’re getting taken for granted. You can’t sack people for that, only if they’re doing things wrong.
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What a load of rubish !
Be glad you have a job .
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I think some of the comments left by people on this subject are a sad reflection of how the working class in this country are now seen. As nothing more as disposable assets who should be sacked and replaced by workers from Eastern Europe because they have the nerve to complain and stand up for their rights when faced with losing thousands of pounds per year from their wages.
The only weapon the working man and woman has in this day and age of multi billion pound bail outs to the mega rich who run this country is the right to strike and if the working class don’t fight for their rights who will do it for them? Sad times.
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Whilst not agreeing with the strike I find it repulsive at some of the comments, Polish workers? don’t you think we have enough eastern europeans pinching our jobs, if the boot was on the other foot you would not be so keen to gob off, a for the other do-gooders, that’s why this country is in the mess it’s in, john 6 you are so right bud, but that’s the way people today think, what they do not realise is that a lot of these “eastern europeans” send their money back home + they are scared to question their rights in case they are sacked.
Why are the student nurses on such a low salery? because it is easier to bring in overseas workers to do their jobs – it’s the thin end of the wedge! and we can blame Thatcher for it< and it will get worse under the condoms.
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The binmen and their union agreed to single status. Why are they now kicking up a fuss about it months and months later?
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The Council cannot back down for one group of workers…….the same evaluation process was applied to all employees.
Therefore, surely any “fiddling” of the system to the benefit of bin men would be unfare to all other Council staff who have accepted the results of the process.
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Britain = British Jobs END OFF
The abuse they have to put up with they deserve the wages to be atleast doubled.
I doubt any of you people slagging the bin men off would last a month so before you start moaning think before you type.
Me for one, I wouldn’t do the job and fair play to the bin men for doing their job properly.
Too many people don’t know the facts and that the bin men lost the single status ages ago and they let the union try to strike a deal woth the council to get the pay back and now the council are getting there just desserts.
Council back down before you get humiliated !!!
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British people = should know how to use English grammar. END OF!
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Maybe I pressed the F once to many in ager at idiots like yourselves and others slagging these bin men off. They are losing money and they are claiming it back.
People like you and the rest don’t work for the council so don’t have an opinion as you don’t know the facts behind it all.
If you lose 3K and feel glad about it in this climate then surely you need your head testing.
SO HUSH UP!!!!!
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-How do you know who does or does not work for the council & does it matter?
-We are all entitled to an opinion & its about time we expressed our feelings as bin men are expressing theirs by striking & telling us to “hush up” & rudely at that.
-We pay for a service, we are not getting it, don`t expect applause.
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I could have a go at being a bin man because it needs absolutely no training.
I’d like to see how long these bin men could take being a teacher for with the same level of training required to be a bin man, because apparently they are comparable wage wise, if the bin men win…
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Workshy layabouts.
They should be disgusted with themselves for skiving off.
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Well said Trevor. They should be thrown in prison for letting the public down.
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Thanks Brummie Lad
Binmen do a completely unskilled job that requires no talent and thus should be at the bottom of the pay scale, well below caring nurses and care assistants.
Can’t believe they pick up £15k a year for this job.
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You have my full support lad’s, stuff what these mindless idiots write about you as they would never except a £3000 a year pay cut. Neither would our French or Spanish neigbours.
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I’m unemployed ad I’ve been applying for jobs non-stop with no luck whatsoever. I’ll gladly do their job on the pay they’re on NO PROBLEM!!!
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Contact the editor of the paper, and ask him to pass your details on to me, I’ll make sure they reach Sandwell Council next week.
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you got my support as well good luck & fight for what you believe in
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good luck lads you got our full support keep fighting for what you believe in
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Perhaps people should know the full facts behind all this – an agreement was reached but the council backed out, just a ploy to delay strike action.
The binmen have suffered abuse by being called monkies and told anybody could do their job (by management)
They have been stopped from putting their own points of view across and stopped from speaking to the press to correct errors.
Fair??? doesn’t sound it to me!
As others have said – we have too many people who sit on the dole accepting handouts. At least the bin men work – but not only that they get up early, walk 16 plus miles a day with no lunch or toilet breaks, pick bags up with maggotts and rats on and take abuse off the public!
Not a job I would do!!
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Refuse collection is a “would`nt do” job (as you have said) not a “could`nt do” job.
Comment 10 I have been thinking before typng this. Most people won`t last a month as a bin man (I could give it a go though, don`t need several years of training) but I could`nt last a minute as a Doctor or a surgeon.
Refuse collection is a service we pay for with poll tax so we all expect a service.
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Dear Brummie Lad, The dole must pay well for you to afford a PC with broadband.
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You don`t need PC & Broadband to comment on sites like these. Mobile phones are enabled, there are pay-as-you-surf consoles at shops, some are free in libraries & you can always visit a friend with a pc to make a comment.
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Stand up for your rights lads. hope u achieve what u set out to do. some of the comments on here are unbelievable obviously from people who have no respect or understanding of what the job entails, regardless of the current financial climate these pay cuts are not about saving money in difficult times. I for one would be happy in a job if my wage was cut to a degree where i could no longer pay my mortgage, surely you’d be thinking to yourself why work ? why not bang out a couple more kids and live of the estate ? anyone critising the action ask yourself could you manage with £70 less in your pay packet each week trying to support your family ?
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would not be happy. soz. hic ha ha
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The problem is, they’ve had it too good for too long. Before single status, they used to get an attendance bonus. Who else gets a bonus for turning up to work?! It’s an unskilled job and in the last recruitment drive early in the year, over 1000 people applied for the few posts available. Tell me there’s no one to replace them? They’re all transfering to Serco in November which is why they’re playing up now. Bye bye bin men.
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The bins here in Australia are emptied by one man in a truck. All automated and done very quickly & efficiently 365 days a year. Our bin day fell on Xmas day last yr. Bins still emptied. Just put by the edge of the rd the night before and all done within the same half hr time frame every week. One truck for refuse every week, one for recycle/green on alternate weeks. UK needs to move forward. Very behind the times in refuse collection. Binmen here a thing of the past.
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Not so long ago a binman would come collect the bin from the back of the house and place it up on the roadway where it would be emptied then returned with the lid on to where it was fetched from, now the lazy gits want everything put on the roadway for them and just dump the bin on the driveway minus lid when they empty it.so i think the 3 grand a year reduction is in order as they are not doing the full job.serco who are taking over in the near future should fit them with the tagging devices they supply to keep tracks of offenders and asylum seekers and find out where all the binmen go to after 11 o clock?
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PAUL HOLLYOAKE YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR MATE STAN YOU SAD SAD GIT WHAT JOB DO YOU DO, DO YOU WORK? YOU HAVENT GOT TO PUT YOUR BAGS OUT. WE WILL HAPPY TRY YOUR BACK GATE TO SEE IF ITS OPEN FOR YOUR BAGS TO BE FETCHED, BUT AS IVE SAID BEFORE WHO WANTS TO LEAVE BACK GATES OPEN IN THIS DAY AN AGE. AS FOR THE TAGGING DEVICES, GROW UP U LAZY GIT. WE ARE WORKING AT 5 IN THE MORNING AND FINISH AT 12-1 O’CLOCK WITH NO BREAKS AT ALL JUST TO COMPLETE THE DAILY JOB.
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Well done for working 7 hour days!
You were over paid, under the new pay scales many would argue you still will be.
It is an unskilled job, you surely can not expect to continue recieve your old wage?
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Nice to know that people are regarded as “gits” by service providers! (putting things in capitals does`nt make a better point)
I think offenders on community service & probation should empty the bins supervised by wardens instead, Pay back the community & serve it at the same time as saving money.
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I am a sandwell resident, Im very happy with the service.
Im working again after being recently layed of twice in two different jobs and know fully the struggle to bring up a family in such times, so I completely understand and accept the bin mens arguments over pay – even if some of the comments on here have turned into purile drivel.
This pay review isnt just about Sandwell, its national and I expect to see similar in Birmingham and other authorites – if not already.
I think you have to accept and possibly understand that the Council, sorry your employees wont back down…you will continue to strike, the people of Sandwell will get a poorer service, the bin men who are already unpopular for there past christmas bonus demands – will become even more unpopular with residents and eventually when your privatised under some arms length management agreement (which i believed has now been signed 650 million deal?) – you will all have to ALL re-apply for your jobs.
Now if this sounds a bit far fetch, well it isnt, it happens every year and I would suggest you have two choices – go back to work and understand that your lower income (which was ok’d by YOUR UNION!!?? – think you should have a word in that direction )is still a wage most people, with qualifications and skills – could’nt get in this economic climate OR go look for yourself and if that unhappy, get another job!
I wish you well, but I think your on a loser.
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Question to Sandwell Binman:
How much do you think a binman should get paid?
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Worse still the guys replacing the strikers forget to take the bags – ring the council and two days later still no collection – the Great is missing from Britain as we head for the hyenas (way beyond the dogs).
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