A bin strike on the Isle of Wight – possibly as soon as June – is ‘almost certain’ to go ahead as Amey don’t plan to enter negotiations.
GMB union has confirmed that they are balloting their members who are employed by Amey as waste, streets and recycling operatives and drivers on the Isle of Wight.
The union yesterday (Wednesday) received confirmation from Amey that the company have never negotiated with GMB over the pay of their employees, and they have no plans to enter meaningful negotiations with them.
Amey is claiming that GMB members have been ‘misled’ if they believe that they will benefit from an industrial action campaign.
Formal ballot notice has been sent to Amey, with the ballot set to close on 27th May, meaning any potential strike action could take place as early as 13th June.
The GMB members are seeking pay rates for loaders and pickers of £12.50 per hour, cage drivers and all driver and grab operatives £13.25 per hour, with HGV drivers seeking £15 per hour.
Gary Palmer, GMB Regional Organiser, has said:
“Even though we have issued notice of the ballot which opens next week, GMB have made it clear that we are ready to negotiate a pay deal with Amey at any time to suit the employer.
Article continues below this advertisement “Any pay rise needs to reflect the hard work our members do delivering the island’s environmental services and also ease the workers’ day-to-day choices around heating or eating, and even having money to put petrol in the car to get to work.
“The current imposed 4.21% pay increase on what are already low paid jobs at Amey is in fact a pay cut and totally dismissive of the daily struggle our members have just surviving and living within workplace poverty.
“Amey management are going around crews now promising 7% as a potential inducement to not vote in the GMB ballot, but even this still is not above current inflation rates and is therefore not good enough
“If management are seeking nominations of non-union workplace representatives to replace us, then they are obviously concerned about the strength and unity of our members and must be fear that a lengthy dispute is almost certain.
“Our members deserve a decent hourly rate increase and in mid-June if and when they walk out, this should convince both Amey and the island’s council that meeting with GMB is the only way to prevent what could be long term strike action throughout June and into July.
“GMB members don’t want to strike and certainly don’t want to see rubbish piling up in their streets, affecting not only the island’s residents but also the tens of thousands of visitors expected for the Isle of Wight festival and over the whole summer period.
“The fact is that they will, because they can’t afford not to.”
Presumably we will all receive refunds/reductions on our Council Tax bills for any days that we do not receive a bin collection?
All I get out of the Council Tax I pay is my bins collected so I don’t see why I should pay for a service that will not be provided..
Come off it has anyone got their £150 back yet ?????
Should be one job one wage regardless of where you live …
Totally absurd and ridiculous…
My rubbish is going straight to council H Q ……
They can deal with it !!!!!!!
Black bags at the ready…..
Yes, paid directly into our bank account
Mine hasn’t !!!!!!
Are they going to give me interest on it ???????
I think if the strikle goes ahead, it would send a message to the Council that they should choose their business partners more carefully and each and every one of us should deliver our uncollected rubbish to our local councillors house. Addresses are easy to find online.
Presumably we will all receive refunds on our Council Tax bills for the days our bins are not collected?
If the service is not being provided we should not be paying for it.
Well done IoW Council.
You let this contract out to Amey, no doubt thinking ‘didn’t we do well’ making cost savings on the waste and recycling contract. Now however the real reason behind the ‘saving’ is revealed. Andy pay their Island Operatives FAR less than their mainland equivalents.
Well, Natasha Dix, I think you might need to put on your overalls and gloves, and get the rest of your useless staff out on the lorries providing the service that Council Tax Payers actually pay for!
By the way. Hope the ballot does result in strike action. This is blatant exploitation of the work force!
Hear hear. Though you’ll get no visible work from that one, or her feckless, utterly useless staff.
This IWC administration is hopelessly out of control.
If AMEY cannot fulfill their contract with the Isle of Wight council, then the contract should be taken away and given to a more reliable service provider.
If AMEY do not ensure that the rubbish is collected, that we pay for in council tax, then the council needs to bill AMEY for the lack of service and refund the amount back to us, for each collection not completed, as paid for.
That would require the IWC actually exercising their authority. Good luck hoping for that.
Stand strong GMB! Islanders deserve the same pay as mainlanders
Agreed, feel sorry for these guys. They are always efficient in taking away our waste and even take time to find our bins if we’ve forgotten to put them by the pavement. Come on Amey, pay the going rate and don’t use the IOW as an excuse for cheap labour or let someone else do the honourable thing
Well said, they have my complete support in standing up for their rights.
It’s obscene exploitation that they are paid a lower rate than the mainland
Let the rubbish pile up over our holiday season, perhaps then people will appreciate the work that’s done…
Hi these guys on THE IOW do a good job and should be paid the same as mainland crews. As it costs the same or more to live over here. It also sounds like Amy enjoy stiring up the workforce by saying if you want same pay as mainland crews travel over there and work, and by refusing to talk to the GMB won’t resolve any problems.
That’s not low pay.
Its not a nice job, but you get more than at lot of people, they dont smash your wheelie bins or steal your food bin on tuesday morning either.
From my experience this company’s relationship with the public stinks, have you ever tried to make a complaint to amey?..they speak down to you and treat you with contempt, bloody rude..
There employees are like a bunch of thugs that never place your bins where they found them, they fling them anywhere they land..
Bring back Biffa xx
5 bin men read my comment judging by the hate LOL
I hope they do strike
The bin men and women deserve more for the hard work they do
Hard work? Home by 2.30 most days, ignorant to the public, hold up traffic without care and now expect’our support’ ? Jog on.
Very Good wages , pension and generous clothing allowance etc, not too shabby for low IQ people who would in several cases not easily find employment elsewhere.
We have to drag the bins to the kerb. We have to sort the rubbish. We have to endure booking fuss to go to the tip and as others say our council tax rises each year and we get little else for it
What about the rubbish blowing in our gardens, streets and on our pavements?
What about the anger and bad language and pungent odours?
And what about the bins skewed in front of peoples drive ways?
I guess we won’t miss any of that when they strike then!
Sorry, but 4.2% is a very good pay rise and far better than many will be getting. Much of the islands workforce are on zero hour contract and will probably get no increase at all.
They say they want parity with mainland workforce. How about doing a bin round in London and see the difference and why city bin men earn more. It’s not going to be like a cushy little seaside number….
I feel sorry for these poor refuse collectors. I wouldn’t want the job but if I did then I would certainly want the same pay as mainlanders. I have great respect for them and they have my full backing.
Ever since Amey have taken over the contract from Biffa,there has been a lot more litter left on our streets and payments.,Thanks Amey for making the island one big waste Dump…
FIRST
HAVING DONE THIS TYPE OF WORK
WILL THE PEOPLE THE PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SERVICE PROVIDED BY THE REFUSE COLLECTORS
BE PREPAIRED TO ROLL THEIR SLEEVES UP AND DO THIS WORK
DEALING WITH EVERY KIND OF WASTE
INCLUDING DIRTY NAPPIES USED CONDOMS AND FEMAIL SANITARY PRODUCTS WHEN A BAG SPLITS
SECONDLY
IF THIS IS OK TO DO THIS ON THE ISLAND SURELY THE SAME SHOULD APPLY TO OTHER PROFESSIONS
ETC DOCTORS, TEACHERS, POLICE AND ALL OTHERS THE SAME
GO FOR IT TO ALL OFF YOU UNDERPAID WORKERS
TAKE MY ABOVE COMMENTS TO PARLIAMENT
BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL
REGARDS ROE
Firstly all the people moaning about how their going to be inconvenience’d slightly, suck it up. Secondly be prepared for a summer of this from all key workers, who have absolutely busted their asses with huge increased workloads for the last couple of years providing you essential services that you depend on and don’t give a second thought about. Resulting in their employers making huge profits denying their employees a pay rise so they can live, and giving those profits to sharehders instead.
I think i will get a job on the bins if the wage stated is correct. Plus of course pension contributions on top
good on the binmen/women. you do a great job! I bet the haters leaving comments on here wouldn’t do that job for that money
Yes, best wishes to these workers, our “hero keyworkers” should not have to lose out, while the mega-rich get richer. Did you know there is a shortage of private jet hangers. Tax the super – rich, they are our oligarchs.