[News] Brighton waste collection strike….

[Simster]

And then paid overtime to clear the backlog. Out of pocket? No. Quids in? Yes.

Who paid into the GMB war chest in the first place? Let's illustrate how ignorant this is with some very basic maths:

1) Paid £100 a week for a year and 12 weeks: 64 x £100 = £6400

2) a) Paid £100 a week for a year, but £10 paid to GMB subs: 52 x £90 = £4680
plus
b) Six weeks on strike 6 x £0 = £0
plus
c) Six weeks on full pay + 30% overtime (accepting your assumption here as fact) 6 x £130 = £780

So: 1) taking no stance at all, and not bothering with union subs: £6400
2) going on strike for 6 weeks: £5460


So yes, maybe they're lazy, or maybe you're just talking out of your ignorant arse.

 

[Worthing exile]

Who paid into the GMB war chest in the first place? Let's illustrate how ignorant this is with some very basic maths:

1) Paid £100 a week for a year and 12 weeks: 64 x £100 = £6400

2) a) Paid £100 a week for a year, but £10 paid to GMB subs: 52 x £90 = £4680
plus
b) Six weeks on strike 6 x £0 = £0
plus
c) Six weeks on full pay + 30% overtime (accepting your assumption here as fact) 6 x £130 = £780

So: 1) taking no stance at all, and not bothering with union subs: £6400
2) going on strike for 6 weeks: £5460

So yes, maybe they're lazy, or maybe you're just talking out of your ignorant arse.

Firstly, Union subs cover a lot more than the war chest and are nothing like 10% of your pay. A simple google shows they are £14.57 per month for full time workers so less than 1% of their salary.
Secondly overtime will be more like time and a half or double time as the Council will be eager to clear the backlog.
Thirdly if you are going to include Union subs, you have to include strike payments during the six weeks.

So your £4,680 becomes £5,200 less 12 x £14.57 (£175) = £5,025. Plus overtime of £900 (or £1200) + six weeks strike pay. So it is over £6k + strike pay.

Once you allow for tax +NI the difference is negligible but they end up in a stronger position and probably an increased pay moving forward for the rest of their working life.

So who is talking out of their ignorant arse now?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The disgusting state of the streets just goes to show what a valuable, important, underrated and under-appreciated job they do. I support them 100%.

This.

 

[beorhthelm]

I have often posed the question who is most important in today's society?

Picking up others discarded crap is high on the list. It highlights just how much is generated and perhaps it should make everyone focus their efforts in reducing their rubbish.

These HGV drivers currently hold the upper hand, they are needed in many roles. To retain them perhaps the management need to respect them a little more or they could end up going to another employer. Probably delivering stuff in loads of unnecessary packaging.

A lot of those complaining are likely to be keyboard tappers who have never or would never lower themselves to do such a job. Meanwhile would society miss them for a few weeks (some 9 months or more on furlough).

so you reckon being asked to do alternative routes is an unresonable request?

 

[Denis]

I pay for fortnightly garden waste collection. Last time it was collected was July, it’s overflowing. (BH council). I don’t drive.

 

[CHAPPERS]

https://magpie.coop/services/greenbox

If you're really worried about the rates of recycling you can always sign up with Magpie for a nominal weekly fee.

 

[WATFORD zero]

The fact that a former poster of this parish who can barely write a sentence was offered what looked like a safe seat to win tells you all you need to know about your average councillor. Funnily enough one of the best is a Tory, Robert Nemeth, but most are as much use as tits on a bull.

I know there's a few on here who would like to think otherwise (and loudly proclaim it), but I tend to find that at council level, the party of the candidate has very little effect on their competence or otherwise

 

[WATFORD zero]

Paid from a GMB warchest instead.

Do you have any idea what sort of payment this 'warchest' provides the strikers with on a weekly basis ?

It's just that I haven't seen it anywhere and the only Union payments to strikers that I have ever known (and this was a few years back) were from the Union's 'hardship fund' that had to be applied for and were an absolute pittance. Maybe it's different these days

 

[amexer]

Unions !

 

[dejavuatbtn]

It’s a shame that the council doesn’t seem to focus on the most important aspects of their responsibilities. Street cleaning and waste collection should be higher up the list than they are.

 

[Greavsey]

Do you have any idea what sort of payment this 'warchest' provides the strikers with on a weekly basis ?

It's just that I haven't seen it anywhere and the only Union payments to strikers that I have ever known (and this was a few years back) were from the Union's 'hardship fund' that had to be applied for and were an absolute pittance. Maybe it's different these days

The other thing I read was that because it is only the drivers striking, the other crew members are still officially "working" and so earning a full salary, but obviously not able to do the job because of no drivers. This was a deliberate strategy by the union so that crew members can share their salary with the drivers.

 

[Eric the meek]

I pay a considerable amount in council tax. Part of the service I'm paying for, is a weekly service to empty my bins. That service is not being delivered.
That is the result of the bin strike. The end customer is suffering.

The binmen claim they want to provide a service to the customer, but their actions do not match their words.
I don't consider being taken off your usual round and given a new round, a valid reason to strike.

No employer in the private sector would last long if its staff were that resistant to redeployment.

 

[Uter]

Probably due to the fact we have fortnightly collections of a limited amount of recycling. This is thanks to the 30 year contract for recycling that got signed by a previous administration. Most other councils you simply chuck all packaging and glass in the same bins and it is collected weekly. Here glass has to be separate, no tetrapac, and only plastic is plastic bottles. It's diabolical but that's not the current administration's fault.

So short-sighted to enter into such a restrictive long contract. I take stuff I can't recycle here (aluminium food containers, yoghurt pots, cartons etc) to my Mum's in HH where they do collect it. B&H no longer taking batteries annoyingly, but I can take them to my local Tesco.

 

[WATFORD zero]

The other thing I read was that because it is only the drivers striking, the other crew members are still officially "working" and so earning a full salary, but obviously not able to do the job because of no drivers. This was a deliberate strategy by the union so that crew members can share their salary with the drivers.

Can you remember where you read this because if proven, it's an extremely cynical thing to do and I believe seriously undermines their strike action. If you can find it, it really needs to be shared and publicised

 

[Greavsey]

Can you remember where you read this because if proven, it's an extremely cynical thing to do and I believe seriously undermines their strike action. If you can find it, it really needs to be shared and publicised

The Argus - but I can't access it at the moment as their site is sh1t and periodically seems to blocks me from reading articles unless I subscribe.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I'd also like to know more about the bullying allegations?

Is this just being asked to do a different route?

What is the drivers side of the story, because as far as I can tell they don't really have much of a case to strike. Very happy to hear their viewpoint.

 

[amexer]

Our postman not happy as he has to change to another round. Good job that is now private or else they would be on strike. I know its a generalisation but so often another world working for public services

 

[Uter]

But I suppose this is another thing which no party can resolve. If the council are beholden to this long recycling contract then whoever is elected has no chance of improving the situation.

Of course this contract and quite obviously the waste one should have never been entered into, totally agree with that.

But down the line, the contracts which councils enter into will be even worse. With central government cuts and massive pressure on budgets across the country, councils will have no choice over these sort of deals. They'll have to enter the cheapest and the longest, no matter the terms.

According to this the recycling contract was signed in 2003, so we have around 12 years left.

https://www.brightonandhoveindepend...ome-clean-over-plastic-recycling-deal-1041792

 

[BNthree]

Lots of allegations of funny handshakes with regard to the 30 year deal.

 

[Chicken Run]

According to this the recycling contract was signed in 2003, so we have around 12 years left.

https://www.brightonandhoveindepend...ome-clean-over-plastic-recycling-deal-1041792

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I doubt very much a new contract with someone else in 12 years time will resolve the militant nature of Brighton’s dustmen.


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