Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Employee relationsIndustrial action / strikes

Refuse collection strikes could be rolled out across UK

by Kat Baker 5 Oct 2009
by Kat Baker 5 Oct 2009

Strikes by refuse collectors in Leeds will be replicated across the country as councils look to scale down workers’ pay following equal pay evaluations to save money, a union has warned.


In Leeds, 500 refuse collectors, street sweepers and graffiti cleaners have been on strike since 7 September over claims that the council wants to cut their pay by up to £6,000, from £18,000, by 2011.


Desiree Risebury, a regional officer for the union GMB, told Personnel Today these strikes were likely to spread as councils sought a cheaper way to address equal pay.


“I am positive it will happen elsewhere,” she said. “That’s why this dispute is very important.


“Usually things that happen in bigger cities happen to roll out to other areas. It’s cheaper for councils to tackle equal pay by scaling [pay] down, not up.”


Risebury added refuse collection workers and landscape gardeners in Bradford were “pretty close” to balloting for strike action after the council announced plans to consult on the termination of their bonus payments as part of an equal pay evaluation.


Sheffield workers are already balloting for strike action over pay and grading, but this is not linked to equal pay evaluations.


As part of a modernisation package affecting the Leeds strikers, unions claim the workers will be required to work more flexibly, work for longer hours, and take on more responsibility. Risebury said these changes meant the workers should not lose any pay.


But a statement released by Leeds City Council refuted claims that workers were set to lose up to £6,000 a year and said: “While – regrettably – some workers are theoretically worse off at the end of this process, the greatest loss in pay is actually £4,491, and the average is less than £3,000.


“At the same time, a number of their colleagues are actually benefiting from the pay and grading process.”


The council and unions GMB and Unison were expected to hold official talks to try and resolve the dispute today (Monday).


But Tony Pearson, a Unison regional organiser, told Personnel Today there were also strong suspicions that Leeds City Council had decided to cut the pay of these workers because it hoped to outsource the services to private providers by 2011, and wanted “to make pay attractive to private sector providers”.

Avatar
Kat Baker

previous post
Legal opinion: the Equality Bill and pay transparency
next post
Brent Council to axe jobs in £50m cost-cutting bid

You may also like

Junior doctors announce nine more strike days

5 Dec 2023

Who is on strike and when?

5 Dec 2023

Warrington council refused injunction to stop bin strike

1 Dec 2023

Train drivers vote to continue strikes

1 Dec 2023

RMT members accept train companies’ pay offer

30 Nov 2023

Education minimum service levels consultation published

28 Nov 2023

Nurses threaten strikes after consultants’ pay offer

28 Nov 2023

Consultants could end strikes after fresh pay offer

27 Nov 2023

Consultation launched on using agency workers during strikes

16 Nov 2023

Minimum service levels: Work notices guidance published

16 Nov 2023

  • BetterMe for Business: How to Build Wellness Culture at Work PROMOTED | Ever encountered a...Read more
  • Global growth with simple HR compliance (webinar) WEBINAR | In an increasingly global marketplace...Read more
  • Talent acquisition: How AI can complement a ‘back to basics’ approach PROMOTED | Artificial intelligence is now...Read more
  • What will it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (webinar) WEBINAR | As we approach 2024...Read more
  • HR Budget Planning for 2024: Preparing your People Strategy PROMOTED | As organisations continue to adapt...Read more
  • Almost a fifth of UK workers feel undervalued – we need to solve this PROMOTED | A new report has found...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+