Deal brokered in Eastleigh task-and-finish dispute

The deal has put a stop to any further strike action but the borough council has told residents to expect disruption to bin collections – which started when refuse collectors went on the first of three strikes, three weeks ago – to continue.

The dispute was resolved late on Friday following negotiations between the council and the refuse collectors' trade union UNISON, when a compromise was reached between the two sides.

The deal will see task and finish retained but with changes to how the system of overtime payments has previously worked, particularly with regard to assistance when trucks break down.

Eastleigh council – one of the first local authorities to introduce fortnightly bin collections – said in a statement: “The council and staff apologise for the disruption to services that have happened since November 5. Both parties will now be working together to return the service to its usual high standards as soon as possible.”

It explained that domestic refuse collections are now no more than two days behind schedule, compared with five days last week (see letsrecycle.com story) and that the weekly garden waste collections are expected to resume from Monday December, 3.

The suspension of green waste services was intended to allow collectors to catch up with the backlog of household bins left uncollected on three days of strikes – around 30,000 in total.

Dispute

The row over task and finish began earlier this month when Eastleigh tried to end the system which sees staff clock off when the bin round is completed.

Eastleigh was unhappy because refuse collectors were charging overtime pay, if they were asked to carry out other duties after finishing their rounds but were still within the bounds of their contracted 37.5 hours.

It tried to halt the overtime payments at the beginning of this month but workers revolted. They said that while they they were working less than 37.5 hours, they were still undertaking the workload which would be expected within this time period.

But they said they were carrying out their tasks more efficiently, for example by taking fewer breaks, and so were completing them more quickly. They said this meant that by carrying out further duties when the round was complete, they were effectively working overtime.

UNISON regional organiser Peter Terry told letsrecycle.com the collectors were being penalised for working harder and being efficient.

He said: “What the employer wants to do is retain the benefit of task and finish but retain the employees when the task is finished. They want to have their cake and eat it, it is just greed.”

As negotiations continued with the council, Eastleigh's refuse collectors were “working to rule” which means they were taking the fixed breaks they otherwise would have waived and so were working the full 37.5 hour week.

The new deal has seen the task-and-finish system retained but with the introduction of new rules governing break-down cover. Previously, another crew would have been dispatched to assist with the round in the event of a vehicle breaking down but now the crew affected will be responsible for ensuring the round is completed without further assistance.

The staff whose vehicle has broken down will still be paid overtime if they work beyond the contracted 37.5 hours. However, the idea is the council will save money by not paying overtime to an assistant crew because those hit with a broken down vehicle will still complete the round within the set 37.5 hours.

Dave Smith, UNISON branch secretary and Eastleigh council refuse truck driver, said: “We are pleased this has been resolved. Task and finish is good value for the tax payer and also suits workers.”