‘ANGRY’ Coventry Council employed HGV refuse lorry drivers are set to strike for the second time in as many years, Unite the Union has confirmed.
The union claims the drivers are taking industrial action due to the Labour Council’s plans to end ‘task and finish’ and to possibly privatise the city’s refuse service.
It further claims the plans were an attempt to drive down pay and conditions as it ‘fights equal pay claims by GMB members.’
Unite added rather than address low and unequal pay in other areas by raising pay and conditions to the level won by refuse workers, the council was attempting to deal with GMB legal claims by bringing the conditions of refuse workers down.
The union said the upcoming action was also over pay issues.
A decision on specific dates for the strikes is set to be taken soon.
During the first half of last year, Coventry’s HGV refuse lorry drivers went on strike for six months in a dispute over pay.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Task and finish has been the norm for decades.
“It is an industry-standard provision that helps make a dirty heavy smelly job more bearable.
“The council’s plans to scrap it are not just an attack on refuse workers but an attack on all its workers as it tries to equalise conditions downwards.
“Under these plans refuse workers will see cuts while those on even poorer pay and conditions will see no lasting benefit.
“The continuing cost of living crisis means that bills remain sky high and housing costs are hit with interest rate rises – it is appalling that the council response is this race to the bottom.
“The council should be levelling up not levelling down.”
A council spokesperson said it was ‘disappointed’ by the decision and the authority added it totally disagreed with their stance.
“Employers and unions must be about equality and fairness to all but the current and historic working practices in this service area are clearly not.
“We have no vendetta against Unite and we appreciate all the work their members do to deliver vital services to local people.
“But the issue is that the task and finish set up in waste services, which is a male-dominated workforce, is a working pattern that is not available to other workers on the same pay grade working in other parts of the Council.
“This may have been a historical way of working but it is now being challenged as unfair by another union. Unite would do better to sit down and talk with GMB as well as ourselves to find a solution.
“What is clear is that simply continuing with task and finish will lead to more equal pay claims that will lead to additional pressure on the Council, its taxpayers and have a negative impact on the hundreds of services we deliver to residents and businesses every year.
“We know this action will cause disruption for our residents and want to reassure everyone that we will do all we can to minimise the disruption this will cause as well as continue to work with all unions to resolve these issues.”
