Refuse collectors in West Cumbria – on strike in a dispute over pay – claim some of them have had to turn to foodbanks to survive.
In a video, members of union Unite claim that talks failed between the union and the company which runs the refuse service in Allerdale.
Workers started their industrial action on May 16 and said it is indefinite.
They are employed by Allerdale Waste Services, which is owned by Cumberland council.
Union members recently unanimously rejected firm’s latest offer because they said it did not address the pay issue.
The unions and Allerdale Waste Services have met twice.
Charles Holmes, managing director of Allerdale Waste Services, said the firm had presented ‘several improvements’ in terms and conditions, including:
- Double time payment and an additional day off in lieu for employees working on certain bank holidays, providing four additional days off per leave year for such work.
- Four additional days of leave for all employees per complete leave year.
- To alleviate any hardship experienced by striking employees, we proposed deducting pay equally over the June, July, and August salary payments.
He added: “Following these discussions, a further meeting was held with the trade unions on Tuesday June 6. Regrettably, we were informed that the proposals put forward were rejected by 100 per cent of the union membership, and the strike action will continue.”
Prior to the strike starting, Allerdale Waste Services said it offered and additional two days of annual leave to the entire workforce, which was rejected.
Yesterday, Unite released a video on its Twitter feed, featuring members and officials talking about some of their experiences and the reasons behind their decision to continue strike action.
Unite has claimed that Allerdale refuse collectors pay rates are among the lowest in the entire country. The loaders are paid £10.90 an hour, while the drivers, who are required to hold an HGV licence, are paid £11.89 an hour.
But Mr Holmes said: “It is important to note that Allerdale Waste Services staff were already awarded a pay increase of 10.1 per cent from 1 April, which aligns with current inflation rates and is based on the Foundation Living Wage, a higher rate than the National Living Wage.
“If our offer of paid bank holidays was accepted, it would provide an additional 1.6 per cent for both drivers and loaders, bringing the total pay award for 2023/24 to 11.7 per cent surpassing what Unite and GMB have asked for nationally.”
In the video, Unite member Liam Reynolds says: “The cost of living crisis has affected us massively, the food inflation has gone up and at the minute we’ve got the sun behind us and everything is fine but when it comes to winter we’re all worried about how we’re going to pay our bills.
“We’re all worried we’re not going to be able to have our heating on and we’re massively worried we’re not going to be able to buy presents for our children. We need this pay rise to help us financially.
“We’ve got people on foodbanks, we’ve got people who are struggling and taking out loans to try and help them through.
“But the lads are going strong, we’re digging our heels in, we’re not going to falter and morale is absolutely fantastic out here and we aren’t going to fold whatsoever.”
After pay talks collapsed last week, industrial action for @unitetheunion members at Allerdale Waste Services continues.
— Unite North West (@Unite_NorthWest) June 14, 2023
Whilst campaigning in the local area, @UniteEconomy headed to the strike action to stand in solidarity with our members fighting for fair pay ✊🚩 pic.twitter.com/YNVvE6v3rd
Following two meetings discussing the dispute with Allerdale Waste and Cumberland Council, Unite claimed no progress had been achieved and that the unions had been met with ‘hostility’ upon rejecting the most recent offer.
Stand down officer Lewis Wilson added in the video: “They haven’t come to negotiate at all, they haven’t come to any mandatory offers for the lads.
“If anything it’s just making them more resolute. They’re still out here, they’ve still got their barbecues and footballs and we’re going to get a few games of cricket going.
“So there’s no way these lads are wavering. All they want is the correct hourly rate for the job and that’s what they’ll be out here for until they get it.”
Tensions in the dispute have further increased as Unite claimed Allerdale Waste Services recruited agency workers earning £14 an hour – which the union said undermined the strike action.
In a statement released to Cumbria Crack this week, Mr Holmes said: “Despite indicating that they have a proposal, the trade unions have not put a formal offer on the table and refused to do so in the meeting this week.
“We are disappointed with this outcome and strongly refute any suggestion that we have been unwilling to negotiate.
“Throughout this industrial action, we have maintained an open stance and remained committed to engaging in dialogue with the unions to swiftly resolve the dispute and facilitate the return of our employees to work.
“Our priority remains the well-being of our employees and the provision of essential waste services to the community. We will continue to pursue discussions with the unions in a sincere effort to find common ground and bring an end to the industrial action as soon as possible.”
Ryan Armstrong, regional officer for Unite said that the trade unions were willing to put forward a proposal and start negotiations but claimed that Allerdale Waste Services was clear that the unions “could not change the agenda”.
In the video, he added: “On that packed we couldn’t really table a proposal. While this is going on the community is suffering, the community is getting rather annoyed with Allerdale Waste Services but more importantly Cumberland Council.
“This can’t go on. We are willing to negotiate, our members are strong, our members won’t back down, and our members will be here until they win.”
