GMB announces strikes at Nottinghamshire recycling plants

The GMB said its staff did dangerous work for minimum wage

A week of strike action has been announced at waste recycling plants in Nottinghamshire.

The GMB union said 50 of its members would take industrial action at sites in Mansfield, Kirkby in Ashfield and Worksop from Monday 25 September in a dispute over pay.

The union said waste firm Veolia, which runs the sites, had refused to take part in pay negotiations.

Veolia said a two-year pay deal was agreed for staff in 2022.

It said it had offered to hold early pay discussions for 2024 and was disappointed at the proposed industrial action.

Veolia said it would seek to minimise disruption caused by strikes at plants including the one in Claylands Avenue, Worksop

The GMB said the sites in Warren Way in Mansfield, Welshcroft Close in Kirkby and Claylands Avenue, Worksop, processed waste collected from more than 250,000 homes as part of Veolia's contract with Nottinghamshire County Council.

GMB organiser Mick Coppin said: "Veolia Nottinghamshire are raking in vast sums of money from local council tax payers.

"In return, they're expecting local workers to do dangerous, difficult, and smelly work for the minimum wage.

"Our members can no longer afford to heat their homes and pay their bills.

"They're being driven to the breadline by a multi-million-pound company."

He also said the county council had "sat on its hands" while staff struggled.

A Veolia spokeswoman said: "Veolia and the GMB union negotiated and agreed a two-year pay deal for employees in Nottinghamshire in 2022 which recognised the hard work of our teams but we have offered to engage in early pay discussions for 2024.

"Veolia has honoured the agreement that both the company and the GMB entered into and it is therefore disappointing that the GMB union has sought to take industrial action at this time.

"We take the safety and comfort of our employees very seriously and the work undertaken is done to industry practice.

"Veolia will seek to minimise any disruption the industrial action may cause."

The BBC has contacted the county council for comment