Wealden Bin Strike: Council Agency Workers Break Strike; Union Says It's Unlawful And Extends Action

Wealden waste collectors and street cleansers who belong to the GMB union, have begun industrial action today but services continue as GMB says action is being undermined.

A statement from Wealden District Council today, outlined the services that would be operating today, the first day of the bin strike - but there was no mention of external contract workers.

They announced that a new pay offered had been offered to BIffa last week and that the union was in the process of balloting its members on whether to accept it and call off the strike.

They added:

The following are services which are operating in full or in part today: 

• Rubbish collections – All rounds scheduled to empty rubbish bins today are working  
• Clinical waste and sharps box collections - operating as normal
• Bulky Waste Collections – operating as normal
• Bin deliveries and exchanges – operating as normal
• Street litter bins and dog waste bins – operating as normal

The following are services that are not operating today: 

• Garden Waste Collections 
• Recycling Collections 

"We appreciate this is an inconvenience and concern to residents and we apologise for this short-term situation while Biffa and the GMB union continue to negotiate to reach a fair settlement."  

However, the GMB have been tweeting extensively today and a statement was sent calling on Hastings & Rother Labour councillors to "insist Biffa immediately cease using St Leonards depot to run strike-breaking agency workers".

The so-called Labour group on Hastings Council who allegedly support workers are very much in bed with Biffa waste to undermined our lawful industrial dispute in the Wealden district Council Conservative run they should be ashamed of themselves

— GMB Sussex Branch (@GMBSussexBranch) May 2, 2022

The council have employed agency workers and managers working out of the St Leonards depot, which is part of the Hastings Biffa contract, not the Wealden one.

In a statement released by GMB today, Mark Turner GMB B50 Branch Secretary said:

"To avoid sitting down to meaningful talks with GMB or improving the low pay offer already made, Biffa’s Managing Director Roger Edwards has opted to employ agency workers and to order local management back behind the wheel to seek to break his own low paid employee’s strike.

"I would understand Tory councillors getting behind anti trade union tactics by Biffa, but GMB were shocked to hear that the company had chosen to embroil Hastings and Rother’s Labour Council in the dispute by running the service from St Leonards. This will now inevitably impact on Hastings as well as Wealden's bin collections.  

"Somebody at Wealden council should learn the lessons from the Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne and Adur and Worthing strikes that trying to wait out or undermine GMB industrial action will make things worse in the long run."

Gary Palmer GMB Regional Organiser said: 

"GMB have tried twice now to meet to negotiate a settlement to avoid industrial action but at least we now know why these talks weren’t taken seriously by Biffa’s MD, he was too busy plotting and spending money to avoid increasing a pay offer to his own employees. This is despite local management Trevor Elliott regularly boasting to staff that the East Sussex waste partnership contract is one of Biffa’s most profitable. 

"Well robust actions by Biffa deserve robust responses by the GMB and its members and supporters, but Wealden County Council and unfortunately its residents will now have to see the rubbish pile up in the street for even longer as the Strike has been extended to 4 weeks and subject to potentially extending it even longer. 

"There’s nothing new about Biffa’s anti trade union approach and GMB have seen it all before. Eventually they will get around the table to meaningfully resolve the dispute but GMB will be very disappointed if Hastings council are the reason that our members campaign is undermined."

The GMB have called on its supporters to join them in a protest tomorrow morning:

If you are in Hastings tomorrow morning between five and eight tomorrow morning we will be holding a demonstration against the labour run council allowing Biffa waste to operate strike busting vehicles and staff from their depot please come along and support

— GMB Sussex Branch (@GMBSussexBranch) May 2, 2022