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Salford bin men strike again

17/07/2007

The dispute between refuse workers and Salford City Council has stepped up a gear after rubbish collectors walked out this morning.

It is the third time in less than a month that bin men have carried out a 24-hour strike and comes at a time when residents have been complaining about the piles of uncollected rubbish.

The council said it will make efforts to empty bins as soon as possible, but is unable to make any guarantees.

Some residents have claimed that their rubbish has not been collected for weeks and is starting to attract rodents.

Meanwhile, the service for the collection of magenta bins, which are designed to collect garden waste, has been completely suspended until further notice, according to the Salford Advertiser.

The refuse workers, represented by the Unite union, are demanding an end to a two-tier pay structure for agency workers and council employees.

Under the current pay structure, agency workers earn £5.35 an hour, compared to £7.92 for permanent council staff.

Mick Cashman, senior organiser for Unite, said: "More and more employers are using employment agencies, paying workers below the rate and denying job security.

"We believe that this results in the exploitation of agency workers and the undermining of the pay and conditions for direct workers."

Union members have also called for a work to rule and a ban on overtime.


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