Binmen row rumbles on

Binmen row rumbles on

12 March 2014

DOWN Council is to hold a special meeting to discuss a series of concerns raised by local authority binmen.

The decision to hold the meeting on March 24 came after refuse staff, who have made allegations of bullying and harassment, staged a second protest outside the council’s headquarters on Monday night.

Binmen are demanding a meeting to resolve a number of issues and while industrial action is a potential option if their are concerns are not addressed, refuse staff have made it clear it is a road they are reluctant to go down.

GMB trade union official Neil Irvine said the organisation wants to sit down with council officials to resolve the issues which have been highlighted. He also warned that in the absence of talks there would be further protests.

“We are still here and still waiting to talk to resolve these issues. The binmen want to be heard and this must happen. While industrial action is an option open to us, it’s not something we want to do,” he added.

Anne Marie Smith, who joined other binmen’s wives outside the council’s headquarters on Monday night, said one week after the first protest there had been no response from local authority management or local politicians.

“Not only have our men been shown no respect, are the wives, partners and children now being treated the same? Are people burying their heads in the sand hoping this will go away?” she asked, confirming the protest will continue until the issues raised by the binmen are resolved.

Councillors arriving for Monday night’s meeting spoke with binmen and their wives and agreed to raise the issue in the chamber. While it was subsequently discussed, reporters were excluded.

In a brief statement issued afterwards, the local authority said it “acknowledges” the unrest within the refuse collection services as demonstrated by the protests outside its headquarters.

Council officers also confirmed they are currently preparing a detailed report for the meeting in just under two weeks’ time and that trade unions representing the binmen will be asked to provide a written submission to be considered at the meeting.

Monday night’s second protest came after council chief executive Mr. John Dumigan and Mr. Canice O’Rourke, Director of Environmental Services, gave a media briefing on the current situation.

They confirmed they are aware of the “unrest” within refuse collection staff and have engaged in a series of ongoing meetings with men and their trade union representatives in an effort to resolve any identifiable issues.

Mr. O’Rourke said there is also a recognition that refuse staff have undergone “significant change” in their working practices over the past few years, the most notable of which was the introduction of a 36-hour, four-day week.

The council official said prior to changes to binmen’s working week they were allowed to go home after their bin round had been completed. Mr. O’Rourke said it was not unusual for binmen to finish their collection very quickly and head home early, suggesting that in some cases it was to second jobs. He claimed before the changes were introduced, some binmen worked around 25 hours while earning a full week’s pay.

The council director said the local authority deferred the introduction of the four day week for six months to allow refuse staff to adapt to the change and every member was paid a £1,200 one-off co-operation payment.

He said binmen now work one hour less a week while paid the same wages as before the changes were introduced.

“As part of consultation and negotiations with trades unions, the council agreed to delay the implementation of the four-day week from the original start date of November 8, 2011 to January 31, 2012 in return for a written guarantee from the union that the men would fully co-operate in the implementation of the new working pattern,” continued Mr. O’Rourke.

The council official said while the introduction of the new four day week and other changes have “undoubtedly brought significant changes” to refuse collection staff, they are now doing a “full week’s work for a fair day’s pay.”