Bin strikes to continue indefinitely, union says

Unite regional officer Shane Sweeting said Unite was not in competition with other unions

Bin workers in Sheffield will remain on strike for "as long as it takes" for their union to be recognised by their employer, an organiser said.

Members of the Unite union staged a demonstration outside City Hall as its dispute continued with employer Veolia about which union represents workers.

Unite members have been on strike since last August, and regional officer Shane Sweeting said the workers were "steadfast and strong".

Veolia said it had a long-standing agreement with the GMB union, which has majority membership and has been recognised since 2004.

The action followed Veolia's refusal to sign a union recognition agreement with workers at the Lumley Street depot, Unite said.

Sheffield City Council and Veolia said at the time they were working to ensure "as little disruption as possible".

Workers from the Unite union have been on strike since last August

According to Veolia, Unite represents approximately a quarter of the workforce, but Unite has previously disputed this figure, claiming it represents 80%.

Mr Sweeting said Unite members wanted to be part of negotiations on subjects such as pay and conditions.

Veolia said it already offered them "a voice and seat at the table", but they rejected the offer to continue pursuing recognition.

The company said it would not grant this, because rival union GMB would retaliate with its own strikes.

Mr Sweeting called this "absolutely farcical", because the majority of the workforce had "collectively signed that they will support recognition of their colleagues".

However, GMB has protested against Unite being recognised, raising a complaint to the Trades Union Congress and a counter dispute with Veolia.

Veolia said Unite should "end this feud against a rival union and take the seat, rather than holding rallies and protests".

Workers like Joel Mayfield are striking because their union is not formally recognised by employer Veolia

Unite member Joel Mayfield said it was "not an easy decision" going on strike.

"We get hardship pay, but of course we lose money, we're not getting our full wage," he said.

"But sometimes you've got to think about the long-term and fundamental principle at stake."

He said many workers had joined Unite after previously being part of GMB, because they were not satisfied with the representation they had received.

However, he believed both should be recognised, so staff could choose between them.

"In other workplaces, including other Veolia sites, tripartite recognition isn't unusual.

"The unions work together for the benefit of their members, because it's a common cause."

The GMB union has been contacted for comment.

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