‘Christmas chaos’ as Veolia HWRC staff to strike in Merseyside

The 180 workers will begin strike action on December 28 at 22 locations, with the “first” strike ending on December 31.

Then there are further strikes from January 2nd to 7th and from January 15th to 21st.

Counting

Unite said it is targeting an increase of 50p an hour for the majority of staff and increasing pay to £10 an hour, with class two truck drivers paying £12 an hour and class one drivers paying £14.47 an hour obtain. Unite also said it wanted “the disparities to be maintained when the national minimum wage rises in April 2023”.

The statement added that Veolia was “only willing to offer a pay rise of 20p an hour”.

A spokesman for Veolia said: “We recognize the hard work of our Merseyside and Halton teams in delivering essential public services to the community and this is reflected in our enhanced 2022/2023 package, which includes both pay and conditions.

“We remain committed to having constructive discussions with Unite the Union and its members to find a solution for our staff and avoid service disruptions.”

Unite added that the majority of workers are “paid just £9.50 an hour, including those who hold a Class 2 lorry licence, while Class 1 lorry drivers are only paid £11.87 an hour”.

The ghost of Scrooge lives and performs this Christmas

‘Ghost of Scrooge’

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “The spirit of Scrooge lives on this Christmas.

“Veolia is an incredibly wealthy company. Her workers are already underpaid, but somehow she finds it acceptable to offer them pennies more during the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

“Unite is fully committed to defending and improving the jobs, wages and working conditions of its members and Veolia workers will have the union’s full support.”

Disturbance

Unite Regional Officer John McColl added: “The strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption at the busiest time of the year as residents scramble to dispose of household rubbish.

“This dispute is entirely of Veolia’s own making. You can certainly make a fair salary offer, but have decided against it.

“Veolia needs to return to the negotiating table and make a salary offer that meets our members’ expectations.”

If a wage offer is not accepted, the strike issues will cause serious problems throughout the region’s waste network.