GMB Members Embroiled in Bitter Battle with Waste Recycling Company
9 Dec 2014
Green Co members (Sheffield Household Waste Recycling Centres) are embroiled in a bitter battle after staff have been sacked or forced to leave their jobs in a long dispute about how the centres are being run. Bullying, pay and poor welfare facilities are the key issues.
Intermittent strikes commenced in October and a continuous strike started in November and is currently suspended to allow the Client (Sheffield City Council) time to investigate and intervene. The contract, for instance, cannot be altered whilst there is a strike underway. GMB reps, Jim Rodgers and Gordon Parkes, organised a 2 hour walk out in between strikes after a disabled worker was bullied for taking part in the intermittent strikes. The GMB agreed to Sheffield City Councils, and their main contractors (Veolia), request to suspend the current action in order to put new proposals to this sub-contracted company, Green Co, that would have gone some way to resolving the dispute. The company refused to accept these proposals on Friday, November 21st and furthermore sacked our reps the following Tuesday for the 2 hour walk out that took place on October 16th.
This may well be a final attempt to break the resolve of our members in this dispute, a last hoorah or an attempt to get us back out on strike. Green Co have invested thousands in, what they describe as, an army of temps ready to take their slots (jobs).
We must give the Council every opportunity to intervene despite this appalling attack on our people and for that reason, we are launching a fighting fund to support these sacked reps whilst we carry that fight forward.
Please consider a contribution and send all cheques to our Wakefield Office, C/O Kalvinder Degun, Grove Hall, 60 College Grove Road, Wakefield. WF1 3RN). Please make cheques payable to: GMB, and write Green Co fighting fund on the reverse side. This fund will be used to support our sacked reps and their families accordingly. Please e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for speaker requests at any meetings you may have where you would like to hear more about this campaign.