Glasgow refuse collectors face ‘extreme conditions at work’
ALMOST a quarter of Glasgow City Council’s refuse collectors say they feel bullied or harassed at work.
In a survey carried out by GMB Union, which was delivered to workers at their depots by union representatives in July, 49 per cent of respondents said they felt this way. Another 49 per cent said they had been both physically and verbally abused by supervisors.
Rhea Wolfston, GMB Scotland Organiser, confirmed there was a 50 per cent response rate from workers to the survey carried out in the workplace. GMB holds 95 per cent union membership of the council’s 525 full-time cleansing staff.
It comes after the Evening Times was shown some of the problems staff face on a daily basis by the union, including overflowing bins, untidy back courts and challenges gaining access to the back courts.
Staff are also at risk of touching dirty needles which pierce through black bin bags and the worker’s hand.
Ms Wolfston also explained some of the situations workers are facing.
She said: “These figures are pretty extreme and there is no simple fix to this. It is a stressful environment with a high level of sickness.
“There is a changing atmosphere in the depots. Mental health conversations are not sophisticated as it is a male dominated workforce, although more women are joining the service which is good.
“Our workers have sustained injuries from needle sticks which have pierced through the bin bags and they have had to get tests carried out to make sure they have not been infected as a result. We need sharp proof gloves to prevent this.
“We have had conversations with the council about how to improve the service. We want a happy and healthy workforce and for residents to recycle and deposit waste in the correct bins.”
The survey, which asked members to identify causes of stress in the workplace, revealed that 80 per cent of respondents identified understaffing as the main issue. A further 74 per cent said this was having a negative impact on their mental health.
Glasgow City Council has acknowledged the challenging conditions workers find themselves in.
A council spokesman said: “The health and safety of staff is paramount and we regularly engage with staff to ensure that the clothing and equipment they use in the course of their job is suitable and appropriately protective.
“Any allegations of bullying are always treated the utmost seriousness and would always be dealt with in the appropriate manner.
“We meet regularly with the union at a very senior level and we will continue to work with them to address their concerns.
“There are over 200,000 tenement or flatted homes in Glasgow connected to a shared bin court and, given the scale of the operation, unfortunately issues can crop up at individual addresses from time to time.
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“Problems such as access to back lanes or closes, difficulties with equipment, illness among crews and residents disposing of their waste inappropriately all contribute to issues at specific addresses.
“We fully understand the frustration that can be caused when a missed bin collection does occur but we always look to resolve these matters as quickly as possible.
“Accurate and reliable information on where problems have occurred is essential to dealing with any build- up of waste and we are always looking at how we can improve this flow of information as part of the work to create a more efficient service.
“We are absolutely open to a constructive dialogue with the trades union that will help to improve services.”