This binman strike...

[Postman Pat]

Unions accuse people trying to tidy-up as being strike-breakers.....

Community groups and businesses have taken to the streets with brooms and bin bags in an attempt to clean up the city.

With rubbish now strewn across much of Brighton and Hove, the volunteers have been out clearing roads and communal spaces.

However union leaders have condemned the efforts accusing them of “strike breaking” and undermining” their position.

A number of businesses and community groups took it upon themselves to organise mass litter picks.

Sean Goodale, from Asda at the Marina, has arranged for members of staff to help the community clear rubbish on Wednesday.

He said: “We want to help out where we can and restore the city to looking clean and tidy again.”

Meanwhile workers at Palace Pier, the Sealife Centre and the Theatre Royal were out clearing rubbish around their premises yesterday.

But a manger at Brighton’s Grand Central Pub, who set up a Facebook group over the weekend to organise a community clear up today, was forced to drop his idea.

After being accused of being a “scab” and “strike breaking”, he decided to cancel it.

Speaking on Twitter, the bar worker, said: “I was just trying to do a good deed. Sorry to all those I inadvertently upset.

“Still a bit gobsmacked about the whole thing kicking off like that. I was actually just trying to be nice.”

 

[Albumen]

Unions accuse people trying to tidy-up as being strike-breakers.....

Community groups and businesses have taken to the streets with brooms and bin bags in an attempt to clean up the city.

With rubbish now strewn across much of Brighton and Hove, the volunteers have been out clearing roads and communal spaces.

However union leaders have condemned the efforts accusing them of “strike breaking” and undermining” their position.

A number of businesses and community groups took it upon themselves to organise mass litter picks.

Sean Goodale, from Asda at the Marina, has arranged for members of staff to help the community clear rubbish on Wednesday.

He said: “We want to help out where we can and restore the city to looking clean and tidy again.”

Meanwhile workers at Palace Pier, the Sealife Centre and the Theatre Royal were out clearing rubbish around their premises yesterday.

But a manger at Brighton’s Grand Central Pub, who set up a Facebook group over the weekend to organise a community clear up today, was forced to drop his idea.

After being accused of being a “scab” and “strike breaking”, he decided to cancel it.

Speaking on Twitter, the bar worker, said: “I was just trying to do a good deed. Sorry to all those I inadvertently upset.

“Still a bit gobsmacked about the whole thing kicking off like that. I was actually just trying to be nice.”

Er . . . you're allowed to take your own rubbish to the tip, and therefore clean up after yourself. Disgusting behaviour from the accusers.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

****ing unions. Im no thatcherite but right now this is like something from the winter of discontent.

 

[Black Rod]

So we can't take our own rubbish to the tip now or clean up to make the community and city look better because it will ruin the Union's strike?

 

[JCL - the new kid in town]

Unions accuse people trying to tidy-up as being strike-breakers.....

Community groups and businesses have taken to the streets with brooms and bin bags in an attempt to clean up the city.

With rubbish now strewn across much of Brighton and Hove, the volunteers have been out clearing roads and communal spaces.

However union leaders have condemned the efforts accusing them of “strike breaking” and undermining” their position.

A number of businesses and community groups took it upon themselves to organise mass litter picks.

Sean Goodale, from Asda at the Marina, has arranged for members of staff to help the community clear rubbish on Wednesday.

He said: “We want to help out where we can and restore the city to looking clean and tidy again.”

Meanwhile workers at Palace Pier, the Sealife Centre and the Theatre Royal were out clearing rubbish around their premises yesterday.

But a manger at Brighton’s Grand Central Pub, who set up a Facebook group over the weekend to organise a community clear up today, was forced to drop his idea.

After being accused of being a “scab” and “strike breaking”, he decided to cancel it.

Speaking on Twitter, the bar worker, said: “I was just trying to do a good deed. Sorry to all those I inadvertently upset.

“Still a bit gobsmacked about the whole thing kicking off like that. I was actually just trying to be nice.”

so their businesses have to suffer for the sake of the unions. I don't disagree with the strike however surely the rubbish being built up already has proved the point so let people clear it up before it gets worse. Are you going to climb over a mound of rubbish with your kids to go to the sealife centre etc or will you swerve it until its cleaner and thus they lose out on revenue?

With any strike as soon as you lose public support you can pretty much wave goodbye to the good position you were in

 

[northernseagull]

All for the union looking after their interests - but if the public want to clean OUR city then have no say in this...

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

so the unions want to turn this city into a complete HOVEL and don't want anyone to clean it up

what lovely chaps they are

 

[yxee]

In a statement posted online, union leaders said they were “overwhelmed” by supporters wanting to organise clearups but added that it “undermined” their position.

These people are living in cloud cuckoo land.

 

[Postman Pat]

And on it goes.......

Union leaders have announced further strike action after negotiation talks fell down yesterday evening.

The GMB union announced that all drivers would go on strike from Monday (June 24) for a further five days.

Street cleaners however will be back at work.

This week’s action comes to an end on Thursday with all staff set to work to rule on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mark Turner, GMB branch secretary for Hove, said that staff would be focussing their efforts on local businesses and seafront traders in an attempt to reduce any potential loss of trade.

He added that the council had been “disingenuous” to the public by claiming that talks had been fruitful.

He said: “We are not going to be part of their PR stunt.

“They have not changed their position since the start of this action.

“Unless they come up an improved offer, we will not be continuing talks with them.”

 

[Albumen]

And on it goes.......

Union leaders have announced further strike action after negotiation talks fell down yesterday evening.

The GMB union announced that all drivers would go on strike from Monday (June 24) for a further five days.

Street cleaners however will be back at work.

This week’s action comes to an end on Thursday with all staff set to work to rule on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mark Turner, GMB branch secretary for Hove, said that staff would be focussing their efforts on local businesses and seafront traders in an attempt to reduce any potential loss of trade.

He added that the council had been “disingenuous” to the public by claiming that talks had been fruitful.

He said: “We are not going to be part of their PR stunt.

“They have not changed their position since the start of this action.

“Unless they come up an improved offer, we will not be continuing talks with them.”

I don't think Unison have. In fact I think they're negotiating. Just GMB isn't it?

 

[Hamilton]

I think the sensible course of action now would be for the Unions to instruct their members to return to work. They should also stop the insistence on working to rule and be seen to be going the extra mile to return the streets to normal.

In the meantime, the union should look at a further strike date 4 weeks from today. This way the unions will gain the support of the local community and community pressure as well as union pressure will work in their favour in forcing the council's hand.

This would be the intelligent thing to do. Unfortunately, the unions are led by people with the same intelligence as those presently leading the Green party.

 

[Hamilton]

It's also worth pointing out that it is the Green and the Tory party that have forced the vote through.

The Tories must be laughing themselves silly as they watch all the muck stick on the Greens.

 

[Hotchilidog]

The Union is taking the p*ss quite frankly, threatening people fro trying to clear up rubbish, totally unbelievable. They are also still making sure that people think that workers are getting a £4000 pay cut when this is not true (if it were I'd fully support them). They are using misinformation to fuel this dispute and have little intention of trying to resolve it as far as I can see.

It is true that some workers are set to lose out due to the new contracts, which the council are legally obliged to bring in, but the council have attempted to soften the blow by providing three years worth of compensation to those affected. This is hardly the work of a hatchet wielding administration, far from it. Of course the issue of allowances should have been settled by previous administrations but they couldn't be arced, far better to leave it to the greens (a minority administration lest we forget) to take the fall. Of course still waiting to hear what labour or the conservatives would have done in this situation.

 

[Hamilton]

The Union is taking the p*ss quite frankly, threatening people fro trying to clear up rubbish, totally unbelievable. They are also still making sure that people think that workers are getting a £4000 pay cut when this is not true (if it were I'd fully support them). They are using misinformation to fuel this dispute and have little intention of trying to resolve it as far as I can see.

It is true that some workers are set to lose out due to the new contracts, which the council are legally obliged to bring in, but the council have attempted to soften the blow by providing three years worth of compensation to those affected. This is hardly the work of a hatchet wielding administration, far from it. Of course the issue of allowances should have been settled by previous administrations but they couldn't be arced, far better to leave it to the greens (a minority administration lest we forget) to take the fall. Of course still waiting to hear what labour or the conservatives would have done in this situation.

I agree. Both sides are handling this appallingly. There's been nothing from the council to put the facts across, and equally the unions are going to lose all public sympathy by conducting a campaign of misinformation and belligerence. It's a lose lose situation with the biggest losers being us, the local community.

Clearly this has been handled appallingly by the council, and is probably the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of relations between the council and unions. However, the unions are yet again failing to build bridges with the community. Idiocy. Clearly they want to see some movement for members, but it smacks more of a fight between the egos in the union and the egos in the council.

 

[Hotchilidog]

I agree. Both sides are handling this appallingly. There's been nothing from the council to put the facts across, and equally the unions are going to lose all public sympathy by conducting a campaign of misinformation and belligerence. It's a lose lose situation with the biggest losers being us, the local community.

Clearly this has been handled appallingly by the council, and is probably the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of relations between the council and unions. However, the unions are yet again failing to build bridges with the community. Idiocy. Clearly they want to see some movement for members, but it smacks more of a fight between the egos in the union and the egos in the council.

Not a lot to argue with there. I have found the inability of the council to communicate their position utterly baffling. It is particularly infuriating as the greens are not interested in cutting anyone's pay if they could possibly avoid it.

With central government grants being cut, and the inability to raise council tax more than 2% the council are caught between a rock and hard place when it comes to decisions such as these. I would have thought with the three year compensation package in place there would have been time to come to a new arrangement during that time frame, but apparently not.

 

[Albumen]

The Union is taking the p*ss quite frankly, threatening people fro trying to clear up rubbish, totally unbelievable. They are also still making sure that people think that workers are getting a £4000 pay cut when this is not true (if it were I'd fully support them). They are using misinformation to fuel this dispute and have little intention of trying to resolve it as far as I can see.

It is true that some workers are set to lose out due to the new contracts, which the council are legally obliged to bring in, but the council have attempted to soften the blow by providing three years worth of compensation to those affected. This is hardly the work of a hatchet wielding administration, far from it. Of course the issue of allowances should have been settled by previous administrations but they couldn't be arced, far better to leave it to the greens (a minority administration lest we forget) to take the fall. Of course still waiting to hear what labour or the conservatives would have done in this situation.

Crikey, that's the closest to the truth I've read on here.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

It is true that some workers are set to lose out due to the new contracts, which the council are legally obliged to bring in, but the council have attempted to soften the blow by providing three years worth of compensation to those affected. This is hardly the work of a hatchet wielding administration, far from it. Of course the issue of allowances should have been settled by previous administrations but they couldn't be arced, far better to leave it to the greens (a minority administration lest we forget) to take the fall. Of course still waiting to hear what labour or the conservatives would have done in this situation.

BUT not legally obliged to take T&Cs of the binmen down - instead they could raise the T&Cs of those other workers who are currently worse off. It would be exactly in line with the Green's policy of a living wage and fair pay for all.

 

[keaton]

BUT not legally obliged to take T&Cs of the binmen down - instead they could raise the T&Cs of those other workers who are currently worse off. It would be exactly in line with the Green's policy of a living wage and fair pay for all.

That happened years ago. All that seems to have been done now is limiting and lowering over-time pay. The people who are losing £4000, aren't losing it in wages they're losing it on overtime. That's standard business practice to save costs, cut down on 'unnecessary' over-time

 

[Hamilton]

Not a lot to argue with there. I have found the inability of the council to communicate their position utterly baffling. It is particularly infuriating as the greens are not interested in cutting anyone's pay if they could possibly avoid it.

With central government grants being cut, and the inability to raise council tax more than 2% the council are caught between a rock and hard place when it comes to decisions such as these. I would have thought with the three year compensation package in place there would have been time to come to a new arrangement during that time frame, but apparently not.

Again I agree. The council have offered what they can to ensure that people don't lose out in the short to mid-term. Some will lose out, but this is about cuts that all local authorities are having to make. It all leads back to that nasty global financial crash and the strategy that we've chosen in weathering the storm. Not a path I believe to be right and I freely offer that up.

The unions could have got some small wins for their members here and then all got back to work, but now I think we're in for an almighty fight. The Greens will want to be dogmatic about it I reckon - they're all too bloody principled about the wrong things - and the unions clearly have some cash up their sleeve (I mean they were practically falling over themselves today to announce the further strike action.)

And hey, just think, if the unions do win then the council will have to find cuts elsewhere. School services say. Not teachers obviously as they are out of scope, but say funding for school activities and support services for disadvantaged kids. Maybe it'll be cuts to services for the elderly. Gotta come from somewhere.

The council need to say "yep, we handled this wrong, so we can't force this through, but here's the facts when it comes to cuts now let's meet half way" and the union members - yes, the people at city clean - need to take a look at what is being offered themselves and then talk with their union leaders rather than just blindly follow their union leaders.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

That happened years ago. All that seems to have been done now is limiting and lowering over-time pay. The people who are losing £4000, aren't losing it in wages they're losing it on overtime. That's standard business practice to save costs, cut down on 'unnecessary' over-time

If the process was a money saving one then I'd agree BUT Jason Kitcat went to great lengths to explain at the beginning of the process that this has NOTHING to do with saving money and everything to do with making payscales etc equal ( although the ridiculous definition of equal is mindblowing in it's stupidity ! ). If that is truly the case then just up the T&Cs of the workers in the worse conditions. Why must we have a race to the lowest common denominator ?