Unpaid waste firm staff set to ballot for strike
● UNITE members at Veolia’s Ditton Road site in Widnes are set to ballot for strike action following a long running dispute over unpaid shifts.
Workers at the Widnes site of waste management provider, are employed on a contract of any five shifts from seven. However, drivers are not being paid if they work a sixth shift in a seven day period.
Following numerous meetings, Unite said the company has failed to offer a suitable payment to reflect the amount of hours being worked by their members.
Unite said it had made every attempt to resolve the dispute including meetings under the auspices of the conciliation service Acas, but had grown frustrated with a refusal by company bosses to seriously address workers’ concerns over unpaid shifts.
The strike ballot, over the requirement of work- ers to work a sixth day in a seven day period, opened on Thursday, November 8, and closes on Monday, November 19.
Unite regional officer Steven Gerrard said: “Unite has put forward numerous proposals to the compay, including an option to give our members the time off in lieu of hours worked, but the company has refused this.
“This situation simply cannot continue. Our members have had enough of working for free.
“While many workers have to do extra unpaid hours, the company’s latest accounts show it has made pre-tax profits of £79m, yet it is reluctant to share its success with the workers and resolve this dispute.
“Unite urges Veolia management to come up with an acceptable proposal, if we are to avoid our members taking strike action.”
Phil Gilmour, regional director, Veolia UK said: “This is very disappointing, especially as the matter in dispute is part of a long-standing working arrangement currently being discussed at ACAS with the national joint Trade Unions, including Unite.’’
He added that on October 25 all parties had agreed that significant progress had been made; with a further meeting scheduled at ACAS.