Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

 Industrial action nearly escalated to a wildcat strike on monday, as scab labour is used by Edinburgh City Council in the waste collection dispute.

 Bin workers nearly called a wildcat strike, when they found out that a scab company, Shanks Waste Solutions has been contracted in. Shanks will be dealing with waste in and around Princes Street, the Royal Mile, and to collect trade waste.

Bin workers have been working to rule since 25th June, and an overtime ban is in force - a move which has seen rubbish pile up in many parts of the city.

All Edinburgh City Council workers are currently being balloted for strike action over the council "pay modernisation" schemes. The ballot will finish right in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival, and will likely result in a strike, if the council doesn't make a better pay deal for workers.

Poor pay

The dispute is bigger than just the bin workers - it is about what the council is calling "pay modernisation" for all council workers. The council plans to cut bonuses for all workers, but it is traditionally male jobs that receive such bonuses. As such, the council is dressing it up as a gender pay equalisation scheme.

They will be in effect cutting the wages of mainly manual workers, including bin men, down to the same low level of women workers who have been historically discriminated against by the council.

Waste collection workers with their bonuses earn around £16000 per year, already well below the national average income, which stands at over £23000. But, the Edinburgh City council plans to cut their income by £3000, in a move that they say equalises the gender pay gap - a gap that has unsurprisingly been maintained by the council for ten years since the Equal Pay Act was passed.

Workers involved in the dispute argue that men's pay should be equal with women - but equalised up, not down, so that all council workers have a decent income.

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UPDATE:

 I just spoke to the refuse workers who are emptying my bins, and they said Mark Turley (Edinburgh Councils 'Director of Services for Communities') is the man to send your 'strongly worded' letters and emails:
Mark Turley, Director of Services for Communities
Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG
Tel: 0131 529 7325 Email: mark.turley@edinburgh.gov.uk

They said that messages of support should go to their union (Unite T&G) official Steven McGregor
21 Logie Mill, Beaverbank Business Park, Unit 11, Edinburgh, EH7 4GH.
Tel: 0781 889 0555. Email: steviemacgregor@blueyonder.co.uk

 

Comments

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

 they can go and throw shite at themselves

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

I work for Shanks Waste Solutions, what i would say to all the edinburgh council manual workers is this, I live in edinburgh and if you got an increas you would be forcing the council to increas mine and everybody elses council tax, which i for one am not going to support. although i am simpathetic to your cause some of your colleges have taken it apon themselfs to verbaly abuse shanks staff, call shanks staff scabbs, phone shanks and threaten people with there lives, throw bricks and shanks trucks and injurning the occupants inside. none of this helps your cause and quite frankly makes you all look stupid. which i am sure you are not. shanks union has not been involved in this dispute, GTWU. and our guys have not been balloted, or  voted on the issue, they are going out to do the job they have been told to do, unlike you they do not have a choice. take it from me all shanks drivers feel your pain but if the shoe was on the other foot you would not strike for us so why should we for you, so scabb to you all.

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

I support the right of the workers to strike, but surely the council does need to provide some means of refuse removal if they are unwilling to meet the demands of the union. Aside from aesthetic concerns about the city centre at the peak of its tourist inflow, the presence of vast amounts of domestic waste in the streets poses a direct danger to the welfare of Edinburgh residents, especially at a time when its population increases so dramatically (the Festival). Having worked for the council myself, I sympathise strongly with the workers as the pay scheme in place is both inconsistent and very poorly managed (and the way in which staff and duty manager allocation in council locations is managed is a complete shambles)

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

Anonymous wrote:

I work for Shanks Waste Solutions, what i would say to all the edinburgh council manual workers is this, I live in edinburgh and if you got an increas you would be forcing the council to increas mine and everybody elses council tax, which i for one am not going to support. although i am simpathetic to your cause some of your colleges have taken it apon themselfs to verbaly abuse shanks staff, call shanks staff scabbs, phone shanks and threaten people with there lives, throw bricks and shanks trucks and injurning the occupants inside. none of this helps your cause and quite frankly makes you all look stupid. which i am sure you are not. shanks union has not been involved in this dispute, GTWU. and our guys have not been balloted, or  voted on the issue, they are going out to do the job they have been told to do, unlike you they do not have a choice. take it from me all shanks drivers feel your pain but if the shoe was on the other foot you would not strike for us so why should we for you, so scabb to you all.

You don't think that the rate that council bin workers get effects the wage rate that you'd get at Shanks? Scabbing on this dispute is extremely short-sighted. If the council can get away with cutting their workers' wages by £3000 do you really think that your bosses at Shanks wouldn't try the same later on?

I'd like more details of these alleged incidents of council bin workers throwing bricks and injuring Shanks workers, please.

This is not a platform to spread unfounded rumours and disinformation, thanks.

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

all council workers have acted stupid during all off this dispute. you say shanks are scabs, when they are just doing a job. if they didn;t someone else would. do you honestly think the whole of edinburgh would let there waste lie all over the place? don't be stupid! every customer would have left in an instant to get there waste collected. and then where would you all be? out the job, 3 grand would be the least of your worries. then you would go looking for a job at one off these so called scab companies!!! so shut up and grow up...

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

Anonymous wrote:
all council workers have acted stupid during all off this dispute. you say shanks are scabs, when they are just doing a job. if they didn;t someone else would.

Well, then they would be scabs too! You should show solidarity to your fellow refuse workers, and not scab during this industrial dispute. Then they might be in a position to support you in a similare one. If we get a culture of supporting one another, then the bosses cant shit on us - like what they are doing to the refuse workers in this instance.  

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

Shank workers who are picking up CEC waste are scabs doing scab work,at least CEC binmen/woman can look at themselves in the mirror.Hears a massage to all you Shanks scab scum you lot should be ASHAMED! 

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

I always tipped my binmen at xmas and  my neighbours also. I will now no longer give my bin men any money at xmas as i feel we the public always suffer due to stike action and working to rule. They have had it easy for to long, if they worked for a private company they would have to work a full day, no job and finish, no sick pay and 4 weeks holidays. I work hard for my wages also in wet, cold weather.  I also work fast but not as fast as binmen, they are paid till 4 but are home for 2 now thats fast........................  

Re: Edinburgh council start using scabs in waste dispute

Anonymous wrote:

I always tipped my binmen at xmas and  my neighbours also. I will now no longer give my bin men any money at xmas as i feel we the public always suffer due to stike action and working to rule. They have had it easy for to long, if they worked for a private company they would have to work a full day, no job and finish, no sick pay and 4 weeks holidays. I work hard for my wages also in wet, cold weather.  I also work fast but not as fast as binmen, they are paid till 4 but are home for 2 now thats fast........................  

And thats why half of the bloody bins are not effinn emptied all because they want finished early.

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