File: Black rubbish bin Hastings Borough Council. SUS-220202-083120001File: Black rubbish bin Hastings Borough Council. SUS-220202-083120001
File: Black rubbish bin Hastings Borough Council. SUS-220202-083120001

Residents in Hastings and Rother ‘almost certainly’ face weeks of bin strikes

Residents in Hastings and Rother “almost certainly” face weeks of uncollected bins and rubbish piled up in the streets, according to union leaders.

GMB, the union for the waste and recycling sector, said it would ballot its members for strike action in the Hastings Borough Council and Rother District Council areas on Friday next week (February 11) and the ballot would remain open for two weeks.

The industrial action - if it goes ahead - is likely to start half way through March. GMB leaders said the move came after Biffa, which runs the refuse contracts for the two councils, ended negotiations with the union. They said Biffa’s management told GMB representatives there would be no improvement to the company’s 1.75% pay offer - and if they did not accept the offer, to “go ahead and have your strike”.

However, a spokesperson for Biffa said: “We are in active and ongoing negotiations with the GMB union and remain committed to reaching a solution as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we are working hard to minimise any possible disruption to the waste collection services in the Hastings and Rother area.”

Frank Macklin, GMB regional organiser, said: “With inflation running at around 5.4%, why would Biffa feel that a measly 1.75% pay offer would satisfy GMB members right now? All across the country, GMB waste and recycling operatives and loaders are recognising their own true value for the role they play in keeping our homes, streets and towns free of rubbish. All they are asking for is an end to in-work poverty pay and a decent pay rise above the increasing cost of living.” He added: “GMB cannot be any clearer. A pay increase of 1.75% is insulting and our members will withdraw their labour if Biffa don’t take negotiations seriously.”

Gary Palmer, GMB regional organiser, said there was “almost certainly going to be strike action” in the Hastings and Rother areas. “Our members want a decent pay rise. Street operatives and waste and recycling loaders need to move up to £11.50 per hour, the company’s 3.5 and 7.5 ton drivers need a similar pay rise that then maintains the skill differentials in their role, and HGV drivers, given market forces at this time, should move to £16 per hour,” he said. “As always, the GMB union remain ready to get back around the table if called, but our members are telling us that enough is enough. If management do want to recommence talks, it must be for serious offers and negotiations only, otherwise similar to what we saw in Brighton and Eastbourne, Hastings and Rother will see bins uncollected, and streets not kept clean for some weeks from mid-March.”

The joint waste partnership which manages the waste contract with Biffa, on behalf of Hastings Borough Council and Rother District Council, said residents “should continue presenting their bins as normal”. Averil Price, lead director for the council waste partnership, added: “Biffa are in active and ongoing negotiations with the GMB union and remain committed to reaching a solution as quickly as possible. We will be working with Biffa to manage any potential disruption to the waste collection services in the Hastings and Rother areas.”

Last October, Brighton saw weeks of waste piled up in its streets during a bin strike before an agreement was reached between the GMB union and council officers. Strike action by refuse truck drivers in Eastbourne ended last month after union members accepted a new pay offer from council leaders. Eastbourne Borough Council said drivers would receive a pay increase of between 5% and 15% depending on their salary.