Rubbish bags pile high in Brighton as strike action continues
Refuse collection workers walked out on Tuesday in a dispute over pay and working conditions
Last updated 11th Oct 2021
Refuse collection workers in Brighton and Hove are entering their second week of strike action after failed talks to resolve a dispute over pay and working conditions.
Members of the GMB union working as drivers for contractors Cityclean at Brighton & Hove council walked out on Tuesday, mounting picket lines.
They had originally announced two weeks of strike action, by the union says that has now been extended for an additional 14 days - meaning a month without bin collections in the city.
The union claimed that unilateral decisions had been made around variations of duties, crew changes and planning for collections.
Officials said drivers' health and wellbeing was being affected.
GMB official Gary Palmer said:
"HGV drivers are being removed without reason at the whim of local management, ignoring all the council's own policies and procedures around raising issues around capability or disciplinary matters in a formal way.
"The bullying and harassment of GMB drivers before and during this dispute must stop."
Last week, Nick Hibberd, the council's executive director for economy, environment and culture, said he was hopeful that prolonged strike action would not be necessary.
He said:
"To provide the best service for the city and to support staff, there are occasions where it's felt appropriate to make crew changes or move a member of staff from one round or crew to another.
"Changes are requested to prioritise areas where rubbish and recycling has unfortunately built up due to unavoidable staff shortages, vehicle break downs, or for performance reasons.
"We have listened to the concerns of staff about these requests, and we have made a number of detailed proposals which we hope GMB and the HGV drivers will agree on.
"I want to thank GMB for their willingness to meet and hold constructive talks and I also thank Cityclean staff for their continued hard work.
"I hope we can reach an agreement and work towards achieving our shared vision of a city where we tackle waste and recycling together, continue collaboratively with Cityclean modernisation plans and provide the best service for residents.
"We understand residents will have concerns about disruption in the coming days and once again reiterate our commitment to finding a positive resolution for both staff and the city."
The council tells us it has responded with what's being described as a "significant" second offer relating to pay today, but that was rejected.
A spokesperson said: "It’s disappointing that this offer has been turned down today. It was a significant and generous offer which would benefit not just staff in the Cityclean service, but also staff across the whole council.
"We urge the GMB to review the offer formally submitted to them in writing and come back to the table to discuss with us.”