Bin strikes are set to start in Manchester on May 3, unions have announced today.
Up to 220,000 households could be affected by the strikes which would last for 10 days with a further two weeks of industrial action planned from May 23. The four weeks of strikes are set to start two days before the local elections.
Members of trade unions GMB and Unite, who make up more than half of the workforce, took part in a ballot which closed on April 12 with up to 94 pc voting in favour of industrial action over an 'offensive' pay offer by Biffa. The outsourced waste company which has a contract with Manchester council for bin collections offered most of its staff a 1.75 pc pay rise worth 17p an hour.
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This leaves loaders, who empty the bins into the wagons, with £10.14 an hour. Drivers, who currently earn £11.40 an hour, have been offered £13 – but with HGV licences, they claim they could be earning much more money elsewhere.
Both unions are set to start the industrial action on May 3 and will continue until May 13 with a further two-week strike planned from May 23 to June 3. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Biffa banked millions in profit last year.
"The company should be utterly ashamed of making such a lousy pay offer, which is actually a pay cut, at a time when workers are battling a cost of living crisis. Unite's members will be receiving the union’s total support until this dispute is resolved and a fair pay rise is secured."
GMB regional organiser Michael Clark said: "More than 200,000 homes now face bin chaos because Biffa is trying to force through a real terms pay cut. Refuse collectors worked through the pandemic – meaning Biffa continued to make a healthy profit.
"Now Biffa needs to give something back to those workers. GMB calls on Biffa to make a decent offer and head off this industrial action."
Staff say more agency workers have been recruited recently and they suspect this is because Biffa have been preparing for the strike action to take place. The strikes will start two days before the local council elections on May 5.
A Manchester council spokesperson said: "The negotiations are ongoing between Biffa and the unions and we would urge them to reach an agreed way forward to avoid disruption to Manchester residents.
"We are continuing to work with Biffa to explore contingency plans to mitigate the potential impact of industrial action to help minimise the impact on refuse collection in the city and to ensure our streets are kept clean. These plans will respond to the exact nature and extent of the industrial action, and we will look to limit the disruption to residents as much as possible."
A Biffa spokesperson said: "We are in active and ongoing negotiations with the unions and remain committed to reaching a solution as quickly as possible."
