Union to ballot over Christmas bin strike in Coventry

[rebbonk]

Not exactly endearing themselves to those that pay their wages, are they?

[dutchman]

Coventry City Council acting like 'jilted lovers' over bin strike, opposition claim



Leader of Coventry Conservatives, Councillor Gary Ridley, has said that Coventry City Council's handling of the bin strikes could mean a "winter of discontent".

Slamming the council's handling of the strikes, Cllr Ridley told CoventryLive: "There’s been a clear lack of leadership from Labour politicians on this issue from the start. First they denied there was going to be a strike then, like jilted lovers, they entered into a bitter war of words with their paymasters Unite.

"Residents living in some parts of the city are feeling the pain more than others too with no nearby collection point. Last week the cabinet member promised us she was going to introduce two new drop off points to help in Keresley and Holbrooks - where are they?

"These problems are really just the latest instalment in this crisis. Every year we have waste-strewn streets because they refuse to collect over Christmas. People don’t care how the bins are collected, they just want a service that reflects the council tax they pay.

"So the view of the Conservative group is that we should be testing the market to ensure we are getting the best deal possible. The alternative is more strikes and a winter of discontent under Labour."

[dutchman]

When your bin will be collected as council announce new schedule

Coventry bin strikes have been extended until March but the council have confirmed bins will still be collected.

It comes after Unite announced a further 19 days following failed negotiations with Coventry City Council (CCC) about pay and working conditions of bin drivers.

CCC tweeted at the end of last week (Friday, January 7) they will be "ensuring everyone has their household bin collected every other week" and more would be announced.

And today (January 12) the council has confirmed that new collection schedule for household waste (green-lidded) bins.

The council's updated plan is for every household to get their household waste bin emptied every other week.

Coventry City Council say while there will be no collections this week (week commencing January 10), but bins will start being emptied next week (week commencing January 17).

Changes to household collection

- Those whose collection usually falls on a Wednesday will have their collection temporarily moved to a Tuesday.

- Those who usually have a collection on a Friday will be temporarily moved to a Thursday.

- Residents that have waited the longest for a household waste collection will be prioritised.

- People can check the website at http://www.coventry.gov.uk/bindays to find out when their next collection will be.

[dutchman]

That's no help at all since it says bins will be collected on Tuesday 18th but there is a strike on Tuesday!

[dutchman]

I understand the bin lorry drivers being on strike but Whitefriars/Citizen caretakers don't appear to be working either as bags of rubbish are piling up around communal bin areas?

[dutchman]

Confirmed Coventry bin strike dates as council changes collection days

Unite have confirmed they will be striking every Wednesday and Friday until March, if a resolution is not found to drivers' pay row with the council.

Officials from trade union Unite, which represents many of the drivers, entered into further talks with Coventry City Council yesterday (January 13).

This week, drivers have taken part in four days of industrial action on the picket line outside the Council's Whitley depot on London Road.

However, there has been some confusion locally about what impact the strike dates will have on household waste collections.

Unite confirmed to CoventryLive today (January 14) that they will strike every Wednesday and Friday until March.

Confirmed Unite bin driver strike days are:

• January 19, 21, 26 and 28
  
• February 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25
  
• March 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23

As such, Coventry City Council have announced a new household waste collection schedule, shifting collections to Tuesday and Thursday, depending on when you would normally have your bin emptied.

The updated plan means every household will get their green-lidded household waste bin emptied every other week.

• If your collection day is usually a Wednesday it will now be Tuesday instead.
  
• If your collection day is usually a Friday it will be Thursday instead.
  
• There is no change to Tuesday and Thursday collections.
  
• People can check the website at http://www.coventry.gov.uk/bindays to find out when their next collection will be.
  
• Anyone without access to the internet is asked to visit their local library or call the council's customer services on 08085 834333.

[dutchman]

• If your collection day is usually a Wednesday it will now be Tuesday instead.
  
• If your collection day is usually a Friday it will be Thursday instead.
  
• There is no change to Tuesday and Thursday collections.

They don't say which week though?

I think it highly unlikely they'll be collecting from two different areas on the same day one week and none the following week?

[rebbonk]

I think it's your normal green collection schedule (every other week). Hardly going to win an award for clear English, are they?

[dutchman]

Two more Coventry drop-off sites open today as fortnightly bin collections start

Two more drop-off sites will open today as bin strikes continue this week.

Coventry City Council announced three new sites at the end of last week (January 14) and one of them - the Tom White waste site off Judds Lane - opened on Saturday, January 15.

Today, Wellington Street car park in Hillfields and Coventry Community Resource Centre in Foleshill have opened to help people across the city dispose of their rubbish.

There are now nine sites spread out across Coventry.

These two new sites and the existing six will all be open from 8am until 4.30pm seven days a week.

Tom White waste site will be open 12pm-4pm Monday to Friday, and 10am-4pm on weekends.

From this week, residents can expect to have their green-lidded bins collected every other week as strike action will only take place on Wednesdays and Fridays.

This comes after Unite announced a further 19 days of strikes, taking us up to March.

Residents who usually have a collection on a Wednesday will have a collection on Tuesday and residents who usually have a collection on a Friday will have their collections on Thursdays.

Collections of household waste for people who have a collection on Tuesdays and Thursdays will go ahead as normal.

CoventryLive have contacted the council for clarification on which areas will have their bins collected this week and who will have them emptied next week.

This means the following nine waste-drop off sites are now open seven days a week from 8am to 4.30pm (apart from Tom White site):

• Cheylesmore car park (off New Union Street)
  
• War Memorial Park (main car park)
  
• Hearsall Common (off Beechwood Avenue)
  
• Sowe Common car park
  
• Leicester Row
  
• Wyken Slough
  
• Wellington Street
  
• Coventry Community Resource Centre off Aintree Close
  
• Tom White Waste site off Judds Lane open 12noon – 4pm Monday to Friday, and 10am-4pm on weekends.

[dutchman]

Coventry bin lorry drivers step-up to ‘all-out strike’ with no collections for two months

The trade union representing Coventry bin lorry drivers has said the industrial action being taken will be stepped-up to an ‘all-out strike’ from the end of January - meaning there will be no collections for two months.

The announcement was made by the trade union Unite this afternoon (Monday January 17) which said the action being taken by drivers was being escalated because Coventry City Council had failed to offer “a decent pay rise”.

Unite had announced a further 19 days of strikes, up to and including March, but the action was set to be staggered and take place for two days at a time.

However today it said the bin lorry drivers, who are locked in a bitter pay dispute with the city council, will strike five days a week from Monday, January 31.

The strikes are scheduled to continue until Wednesday March 23. An overtime ban is already in place.

The dispute involves 70 refuse collection drivers, who are members of Unite.

Unite said escalating the action was as a result of the city council “still refusing to enter into meaningful talks and its failure to put forward a package to resolve the dispute over pay”.

The union also accused the council of “inaccuracies and misinformation” about drivers’ pay rates, which it said had “increased tensions”.

Unite has pointed to a starting salary of £22,183 for the city’s bin lorry drivers, which it claims is “far below” what a HGV driver in the area earns on average.

However, the council has disputed the pay figures and also says that drivers have earned as much as £52,000.

The dispute has been rumbling on for more than a year.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Coventry council has had every opportunity to resolve this dispute through negotiations, yet they have still failed to table any offer to resolve the industrial action.

“The council’s failure to negotiate has left Unite with no alternative but to escalate the strike action.

“All our members are seeking is a fair day's pay for a fair day's work and for their skills and abilities to be recognised and rewarded.

“Unite always defends the job, pay and conditions of its members and the Coventry bin drivers will receive the union’s full support until this dispute is resolved.”

Unite regional officer Simon O’Keeffe said: “The escalation of the strike action will inevitably cause disruption to the lives of Coventry residents.

“This dispute is entirely of the council’s own making.

“Even at this stage further bin strikes can be avoided if the council was prepared to put a reasonable offer on the table.”