Bin strike threat is issued over three-year pay freeze for collectors

Sheffield Council pays private firm Veolia to deal with household waste and recycling under a 35-year contract and receives an inflationary increase from the authority on its fees each year.

But the GMB union, which represents 200 bin collectors, said while the increases have been given to the company, they have not been passed on to the workforce.

Regional organiser Peter Davies said: “While the front line staff are out there emptying the bins, Veolia’s management have been lining their pockets.

“Our members had been led to believe that Veolia was suffering in the same way as the council was, with no increases in funding.

“But it turns out the company has been seeing a rise in what it gets from the council every year, but has not been passing it on to its workers. Our members are furious.”

Mr Davies said 60 per cent of staff returned their ballot papers, with 75 per cent backing a strike and 86 per cent backing action short of a strike.

A mass meeting of staff has been scheduled for the beginning of next month to decide what action to take and set any dates for industrial action.

A spokesman for Veolia said: “Wage reviews for our Sheffield refuse collection staff are undertaken at national level as part of the National Joint Council arrangements, under which no increases have been awarded.”

“Veolia has always honoured pay increases agreed by the NJC and will continue to do so in the future.