Northampton bin workers vote for strike action over pay offer

Refuse collection staff employed by Veolia have voted to go on strike over pay offer

Bin collection staff have voted for strike action in a row over a pay rise.

The GMB union said contractor Veolia, who had received a 5.5% funding increase from West Northamptonshire Council, was refusing to pass any of that on to refuse collection employees.

The union said some 94,000 Northampton homes could be affected if strike action went ahead.

Veolia said it "remained committed to finding a resolution".

According to the GMB, Northampton's refuse collectors who are employed by Veolia, had turned down a pay offer amounting to 7% from the company.

The union described the latest offer as "a real terms pay cut, with inflation running at a 9%".

It called for the council, which was "ultimately responsible for bin collections", to step in.

'Huge disruption for residents'

Dave Warwick, GMB organiser, said: "Northampton town now faces a massive bin strike because of bosses penny pinching.

"The council has given Veolia a big funding increase to battle inflation but the company won't pass any on to workers.

"Now they must deal with the consequences - dirty streets and huge disruption for the residents of Northampton.

"It's not too late to stop this strike - a decent pay offer would get workers back round the table."

A Veolia spokesperson said: "As part of the ongoing negotiations and process, we have made two improved pay offers and we are now awaiting feedback from local members on our most recent offer.

"We remain committed to finding a resolution for our staff and avoiding any disruption to residents' collections."

The company added "any contract uplift takes into account fuel, inflation as well as employment costs".

The local authority has been asked to comment.

Industrial action could take place from 27 April, the union said.

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