SITA drivers threaten strikes at Crawley depot

Drivers employed at SITA UKs commercial waste collection depot near Crawley are to ballot on industrial action next week in a dispute over pay and working hours, according to union GMB.

The union said the working week of its members at the depot had been reduced in June 2013 and that they were now facing further reductions, leading it to accuse SITA of behaving in a manner akin to the worst kind of Victorian mill owner.

24 drivers all GMB members are employed at SITAs Turners Hill Depot, which is used to collect waste from Sussex businesses in the likes of Eastbourne, Brighton, Bognor and firms close to the M25.

GMB said members had lodged a collective grievance over their treatment but that SITA were refusing to give them the opportunity of having this heard. As a result, a spokesman told letsrecycle.com postal ballots would be sent out next week and that further action could include strikes.

GMB regional organiser, Gary Cook, said: While members would of course prefer their employer to sit down and deal with the collective grievance in the hope of resolving things, they are prepared to take industrial action which will have a massive impact on commercial waste collections in Sussex.

SITA UK

However, SITA said it was disappointed that GMB had decided to jump the gun by holding a ballot, as it was still consulting with staff over standardising pay rates at more than 30 of its UK collection depots.

The waste management company said a survey had suggested employees who do the same job in each branch wanted to be paid the same amount. It also said it was consulting over matching contract hours with the number of hours staff actually performed.

A spokesman for SITA UK said: Consultation discussions with colleagues in Crawley are ongoing, therefore we are disappointed that the GMB has decided to jump the gun and call a consultative ballot. We are working to agree a mutually satisfactory resolution and both parties are confident that this can be achieved.

The spokesman told letsrecycle.com that it was not aware of disputes at any of its other commercial depots.

GMB members in the waste sector have been involved in strike action this summer with employers in Liverpool (see letsrecycle.com story), West Wiltshire (see letsrecycle.com story) and Brighton (see letsrecycle.com story).

Meanwhile, SITA UK is set to sign a 25-year contract later this month worth around 900 million to treat residual waste from six boroughs that make up the West London Waste Authority (see letsrecycle.com story).