BIN COLLECTION DISRUPTION FEAR AS STRIKE BALLOT PLANNED:

BIN collections on Anglesey could be affected by a union’s decision to ballot members on industrial action.

According to Unite, bin workers on the island are among the lowest paid in Wales, with the union planning to ballot on a possible strike to try and force both Anglesey council and their employers, Biffa, around the negotiating table.

Last year Anglesey topped the Welsh recycling league table but according to the union, workers’ pay does not reflect the level of service offered.

A spokesman for Unite confirmed that the situation had been compounded by Anglesey council’s decision to offer staff the ‘living wage’ of £9 an hour from April – but refuse staff are not automatically eligible as they work for a contractor and not directly for the authority.

He claimed that many staff are working for the minimum wage of £7.83, with the council’s contract with Biffa not expiring until March 2021.

Paddy McNaught, regional organiser for Unite, said: “Despite offering a second-to-none service, reflected in Anglesey’s recycling rate, this is not reflected in the level of pay. Both Biffa and Anglesey council need to come up with an improved offer, with all calls for negotiation having fallen on deaf ears.

“While most of the lowest-paid council staff will benefit from being paid the national living wage, as things stand this will not apply to refuse staff despite living on the island and paying council tax like everyone else.”

If union members agree to industrial action, it’s likely bin and recycling collections would face disruption.

In preparation for the end of the Biffa contract, Anglesey council has approved appointing a new £48,000-a-year “waste tsar” to come up with ideas on how to save money on the refuse service.

The officer will be expected to either find another firm to do the work or make moves towards having the council run the service itself by bringing it ‘in-house.’

According to the authority, the cost of waste collection on the island was around £3.8m in 2017/18 alone, with the outlay of employing a specialist officer said to be cheaper than taking on an external consultant.

An Anglesey County Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of ongoing talks between our waste management contractor, Biffa, its employees and their trade union representatives. This is currently a matter for Biffa and, as such, we would not wish to comment further at present.”