Bin strike looms in Chesterfield as workers reject ‘derisory’ pay offer

The GMB union is to ballot its members who work for waste contractor Veolia Environmental Services after they voted to a reject a real terms pay cut offer of 4.48 per cent.

Dates of the industrial action ballot will be announced in the coming days, with tens of thousands of homes across Chesterfield set to be affected if workers vote to down tools.

They are furious after being offered what amounts to a three per cent pay offer at a time when inflation is rampant at more than 11 per cent.

GMB Organiser Deanne Ferguson described the pay offer as inadequate amid claims that refuse collectors have been forced to take second jobs.

She said:  “GMB members working at Veolia Environmental services have been forced into taking second jobs just so they can afford to feed their families.

“This is a shocking situation for any worker to find themselves in and is made worse by Veolia Environmental Services offering a derisory below inflation pay increase that won’t even touch the sides.

“We have heard, unofficially, that Veolia Environmental Services has said it will increase the offer to six per cent if workers resign from the union – if true, this is an abhorrent tactic.

“We call on the company to get back round the table and come up with a meaningful offer that reflects the hard job our members do every day, and they so richly deserve."

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