Manchester bin workers win 22% pay offer

[geordieboy123]

A bin strike that would have affected up to 220,000 households has been called off after refuse workers accepted a revised pay offer from Biffa.

Despite rampant inflation Biffa - the outsourced waste company which has a contract with Manchester council for bin collections and street scene services - offered most of its staff a 1.75 per cent pay rise at first.

This would have been a real terms pay cut.

The two year pay deal will mean:

22 per cent increase for HGV drivers

11 per cent increase for loaders

8-11 per cent increases for street scene workers

Michael Clark, GMB Organiser, said:

“Our members voices have been heard – because they stood together.

“We would like to thank Manchester City Council and their leader Bev Craig for their assistance in the dispute.

“To other unscrupulous employers take note – the GMB will stand firm against any attempts to enforce pay cuts.”

Well done the GMB

[Sir Henry]

A postal strike that would affected up to 27,800,000 households has been called for after workers refused to accept an insulting pay offer from Royal Mail

Despite rampant inflation Royal Mail - the outmoded waste of a company which has a contract with The UK Government for postal deliveries, offered most of its staff a 1.75 per cent pay rise at first, then another 2% if they gripped their ankles and another paltry percentage that probably wouldn't appear but would definitely result in no reach around for the already bent over a barrel workforce.

The two year pay deal will mean:

A pay cut in real terms, a worsening of conditions and a two tier workforce

“Our members voices have been heard – griping and moaning on Facebook and RMC but are strangely quite on Wankspace

“To other unscrupulous employers take note – the CWU will stand firm against any attempts to enforce pay cuts.”

[richietns]

haha

[daveyeff]

obviously we'll get about the same.

[clashcityrocker]

obviously we'll get about the same.

If not more.

[ted_e_bear]

obviously we'll get about the same.

If not more.

I wouldn't be surprised if rm read this and offer us a straight 25% no strings

[k979aaa]

With the turd in place we will have a pay cut as everything the CEO has turned from gold to s**t!

[redlen]

People fail to comprehend the salary of a Council Bin worker and that of a Royal Mail employee.

The majority of Bin workers are on minimum wage as standard, Local Authority Bin collections are outsourced with private companies under competitive tendering. Lowest bargain rate

You simply cannot compare current salary levels

[k979aaa]

Not as big a difference as 5 or 10 years ago but we have these neo fascist in charge of everything these days like russia and royalmail and other workplaces!

[Duran]

I wonder if that deal would get voted in here. All grades except HGV, 11%. HGV 22%. Would you turn down 11% Because HGV were getting 22% ?

[geordieboy123]

People fail to comprehend the salary of a Council Bin worker and that of a Royal Mail employee.

The majority of Bin workers are on minimum wage as standard, Local Authority Bin collections are outsourced with private companies under competitive tendering. Lowest bargain rate

You simply cannot compare current salary levels

You are so wrong to state the majority of bin workers are on minimum wage and being outsourced to private contractors doesn’t always mean they are on lower wages as tupe applies when they transfer from the local authority. I used to negotiate for the T&G/Unite refuse workers and we never ever tolerated low pay and Unison and GMB were the same certainly in my patch anyway. My post wasn’t about comparing pay with Royal Mail and bin workers it was just to point out that the GMB won a pay battle by not accepting no as an answer.

[redlen]

TUPE in reality means sod all now after harmonisation of contracts.

With any transfer, all the company wants is the contract, and the employees that have transferred then face redundancy measures in the majority of cases. Former state privatised industries such as British Gas and BT are prime examples. After privatisation,
BT went from 180,000 employees to 80,000 overnight

Competitive Tendering became law with outsourcing Local Authority services with Binmen in 1985, so very much doubt there are any directly employed binmen still with an in-house employer to transfer with previous contractual terms.

An incoming employer can make redundancies post-transfer if these are for a justified ETO reason.

TESCO is yet another prime example of Fire and Rehire on inferior terms. As long as the employer offers another vacancy within the business there is no comeback, even on inferior contractual terms. You accept or be made compulsory redundant

Dismissing a person on maternity leave is another example. That is also unlawful, but does not stop the employer making the job description redundant and making the employee apply for another Vacancy/position.


Just like with P&O employees, the employer can dismiss and rehire on inferior terms through a system called P..E.S.T. when justifying the future financial security of the business

That is Political, Economic, Social or Technological reasons. You also now have Environmental.

Employment contracts now normally have an implied term that allows variation of contractual terms prior to undertakings being transferred to a new employer. This includes previous collective bargained agreements


Employment law changes every year, normally on reduced opportunities for the employee. Legislation protects the employer now, not the employee. What you once did in the distant past is no longer applicable in today's cut-throat world of globalisation

[mjd24]

I wonder if that deal would get voted in here. All grades except HGV, 11%. HGV 22%. Would you turn down 11% Because HGV were getting 22% ?

Id rip your arm off for 11%!

[fb1969]

About six months ago there were adverts for bin men locally to me, it was £10 an hour and overtime was time and a half.

[geordieboy123]

TUPE in reality means sod all now after harmonisation of contracts.

With any transfer, all the company wants is the contract, and the employees that have transferred then face redundancy measures in the majority of cases. Former state privatised industries such as British Gas and BT are prime examples. After privatisation,
BT went from 180,000 employees to 80,000 overnight

Competitive Tendering became law with outsourcing Local Authority services with Binmen in 1985, so very much doubt there are any directly employed binmen still with an in-house employer to transfer with previous contractual terms.

An incoming employer can make redundancies post-transfer if these are for a justified ETO reason.

TESCO is yet another prime example of Fire and Rehire on inferior terms. As long as the employer offers another vacancy within the business there is no comeback, even on inferior contractual terms. You accept or be made compulsory redundant

Dismissing a person on maternity leave is another example. That is also unlawful, but does not stop the employer making the job description redundant and making the employee apply for another Vacancy/position.


Just like with P&O employees, the employer can dismiss and rehire on inferior terms through a system called P..E.S.T. when justifying the future financial security of the business

That is Political, Economic, Social or Technological reasons. You also now have Environmental.

Employment contracts now normally have an implied term that allows variation of contractual terms prior to undertakings being transferred to a new employer. This includes previous collective bargained agreements


Employment law changes every year, normally on reduced opportunities for the employee. Legislation protects the employer now, not the employee. What you once did in the distant past is no longer applicable in today's cut-throat world of globalisation

I really didn’t want to get involved arguing with you as I was just reporting on the bin workers victory but I’ll make the point that the ETO reasons were there at that time but such was our organisation we were never challenged by any contractor. I can remember in one London borough we achieved a 48% pay increase in the second generation of that particular contract and we didn’t have to take any industrial action. I have no doubt however that such bad behaviour by companies does exist in non unionised work places or weakly organised.