The union has organised a strike ballot for its 45 members employed by Kier in the area after the company made an insulting pay offer to workers. According to GMB, Kier made a final offer to raise pay by 1.75% over 15 months in response to a request for a 4% rise over 12 months.
Kier took over waste and recycling services for Kings Lynn and West Norfolk borough council from Veolia in April last year, as part of an 8.5 million deal awarded to the company in November 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story).
GMB has claimed that the Kings Lynn and West Norfolk contract has also seen a number of other aggravating issues for employees including increased working hours, the level of agency staff being used since the TUPE transfer from Veolia, and different sizes of collection rounds for different areas of the district impacting on finishing times.
GMB also claims that Kier was asked to negotiate an improvement to company sick pay but it has yet to receive a response.
The ballot of union members closes tomorrow (August 27), with the GMB calling for them to support industrial action to secure a better offer from the company.
Offer
Glenn Holdom, GMB regional officer, said: This insulting pay offer does not reflect the effort put in by the operatives to fulfil the conditions of the contract. Even then it is a 15-month deal because they want to change the anniversary date to July 1.
The company response is not acceptable to our members and they view this as the straw that has broken the camels back. GMB remains committed to talk further with the company to avoid regrettable disruption to the service our members provide but the company need to improve the offer and address the other concerns of members.
Commenting on the ballot, Kier Refuse Services spokeswoman Jane Mason said: We are committed to continuing our discussions regarding the pay award with the aim of reaching an amicable conclusion for all parties and to avoid any disruption of service.
The ballot follows a separate ongoing dispute between GMB and Kier Group involving compensation for construction workers who had their names listed in a database held by the Consulting Association.
Ms Mason added: “This historical issue at its most recent affected the industry back in 2009. Kier is committed to fair and transparent recruitment of employees, and to ensuring that pre-employment vetting processes are not only legal, but follow industry best practice.”
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