Daily Sheffield bin strikes planned after pay offer rejected
GMB members claim a pay offer from Veolia was a "real-terms pay cut"
At a glance
Refuse collectors in Sheffield are striking after declining a pay offer from employers Veolia
The GMB union said members had voted to strike permanently unless an improved pay increase was offered
Veolia apologised for any disruption and said it was working with members and staff to resolve the dispute
- Published
Bin workers in Sheffield have threatened to go on permanent strike over a pay dispute, a union has said.
Veolia Sheffield has been accused by the GMB union of "breaking the bank" to bring in agency staff after the first in a series of weekly strikes started on Monday.
Refuse staff have rejected a 3% pay increase in year one and a 3% increase in year two, something Veolia said it was "disappointed" with.
The GMB said a permanent strike planned daily from 22 November could affect over 200,000 households.
Members of the union were balloted following Veolia's pay offer, which the waste company said was in line with what staff had asked for.
However, a GMB spokesperson said union members rejected the offer as they were concerned about their terms and conditions.
He added that the offer was a "real-terms pay cut".
Veolia said it understood members were seeking a one-year 6% pay increase instead.
GMB members have now said they could go on strike permanently unless an improved pay offer is put forward.
The union has claimed that prior to the industrial action on Monday, Veolia offered "vast sums" for agency staff to try and break the strike.
Lee Parkinson, from the GMB, called on Veolia to stop the battle "turning into a war".
He added: “Veolia needs to stop opening the cheque book, trying to break this strike using out-of-town labour and get back to the table to negotiate an end to this dispute."
Veolia said it would continue to engage with staff and was working to minimise disruption to residents.
It added: "We will provide further information to residents regarding changes to bin collections and would like to apologise for the inconvenience this will cause."
Refuse collectors in Glasgow have been striking after GMB members rejected a pay offer in the city.
In Brighton, mounds of rubbish are being cleared following a strike by bin workers who are members of the GMB.
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