Union to ballot over Christmas bin strike in Coventry

[rebbonk]

I wonder if they'd care to provide the full details of this survey? Nobody I have spoken to recently is supportive of the binmen, and several have thought that the strike was all done and dusted.

[dutchman]

Coventry's waste drop-off sites to close for good

All of Coventry's waste drop-off sites are to close from next week. A number of sites were set up for residents to get rid of their household waste during the ongoing strike by bin lorry drivers.

However, with the recent resumption of garden waste collections, all three bins are now being collected and the city council has made the decision to close the drop-off sites. All drop-off sites will close on Monday, May 16, at 4.30pm, except the Wyken Slough drop site, off Aldermans Green Road, which will close on Sunday, May 15, at 4.30pm.

The Environment Agency had issued temporary permission for the sites to operate to help minimise the impact of the strike. This permission ends on May 16 in line with the closures.

Councillor Patricia Hetherton, cabinet member for city services, said: “I’d like to thank everyone that has made use of the drop sites to get rid of their rubbish and recycling. They served us well – but the Environment Agency permission is set to end so they must now close.

"I’d also like to thank the teams that have worked at the sites through some of the coldest weather and always with a positive and helpful approach.”

[dutchman]

Oh great, that means even more fly-tipping!

[dutchman]

Oh great, that means even more fly-tipping!

As predicted:

'Rats and cats' rip through bags filled with waste as fly-tipping worsens on street in Coventry

Residents have been left infuriated after more fly-tipping appeared on a residential street in Coventry. Bags of waste have been left strewn along Achal Close in Longford.

Harry Singh, who lives nearby, says he struggles to dodge the rubbish when dropping his daughter off at school. From a desk chair to a mattress, the pavement is lined with trash and residents are not happy.

Speaking to CoventryLive, Harry said: “We get rats and cats ripping through bags leaving a mess. It is disgusting.

“It is not healthy for the area, it will bring all sorts to our houses. And there was a load picked up only two days ago, now it has been done again. It is affecting local residents.

"When I am walking with my kids back from school they have to be very careful.“

Harry claims that fly-tipping has risen in the area since the bin strikes began in January. “It has been happening since the bin strikes, the bags get picked up but it happens again and again“, he said.

He is calling on Coventry City Council to take action to prevent further incidents of fly-tipping in the neighbourhood. Harry said: “Coventry City Council needs to take more action to find the people responsible.“

[dutchman]

Flats left without bin collections for THREE MONTHS as rubbish piles high



Have you ever wondered what it would look like if your bins weren't collected for three months? That is the reality for residents living in a group of three blocks of flats in Henley Green.

Residents in Winston Avenue have seen rubbish pile high at their communal bin store, with one resident saying the bins were last collected in February. The store has overflowed with black bags and have started encroaching the path outside the bricked off bin area.

Shellie, who lives in the flats, said: "It's absolutely stupid. We all share the bin store, it's three blocks in total using it.

"I'm worried as there are vulnerable people in all of the blocks and my son has a health condition. My worry is that there are also lots of people with pets living here and it could attract rats which may spread disease.

"I spoke to the council and they told me to speak to the housing association, who told me to speak to the council to get a reference number. They told me they couldn't give me one due to the bin strike so I feel like I've been passed pillar-to-post.

"I'm not sure if we've just been left off the list of places for bin collections."

The operators of the three blocks on Winston Avenue are Citizen housing, who say that Coventry City Council are responsible for the bin collections.

[dutchman]

Coventry bin drivers agree to extend strike over summer months



HGV bin drivers in Coventry have agreed to stay on strike through the summer. Trade union Unite have today (June 7) announced 100 per cent of striking workers voted for the industrial action to continue for the next few months.

The drivers have been on strike since January and Coventry City Council was forced to bring in Tom White Waste to collect the city's rubbish. Since a deal was made with the contractors, residents' bins have been emptied with minimal issues.

The strike came after a pay dispute and Unite claimed the city council were refusing to give drivers the going rate. General Secretary Sharon Graham has said the strike will continue until an agreement between them and the council is reached.

“With another resounding vote, these workers are standing firm in their fight for the rate for the job. They have their union’s backing all the way," Ms Graham added.

"The truth is that Coventry council is squandering millions in a failed attempt to break the strike, money that would be far better spent addressing low pay in this workforce and supporting local people through the cost of living crisis. The council’s responsibility now is to reach an agreement with Unite.”

Unite are claiming the workers' basic pay begins at £22,183 a year and is something "well below pay rates of neighbouring councils". Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: “The drivers have been on all out strike since the beginning of the year.

"They continue to show tremendous bravery in their battle to be paid the rate for the job. The workers have sent a powerful message to Coventry council. They are determined to keep up the pressure until the council reach an agreement.”

[rebbonk]

They're only punishing themselves. They're the ones losing money, I don't see the 'mouths' from the union losing money.

I also wonder how much longer the council will put up with this silliness before it takes steps to dismiss them?

[dutchman]

Coventry locals living with 'rubbish spread everywhere after no bin collections for weeks'



Residents in Coventry are living among piles of rubbish after bin men allegedly failed to collect their waste for weeks. Occupants of Pinnock Place, Tile Hill, are staring daily at rubbish that has spilled onto the communal areas due to over-filled bins.

One occupant told CoventryLive the chaos has been affecting them for weeks. He even said the mess has left them dealing with foxes, mice and rats.

The green space is normally used by children to play in. However, they can't go near it any more because of broken glass on the floor and excessive amounts of rubbish.

"It's been like this for well over a month now. Nobody has seen binmen collecting waste or if they have, nothing is being done about the rubbish that's spilled onto the grass or rest of the communal area," the resident added.

"This is affecting everyone because there are children that normally play in that area but can't because of broken glass and rubbish. My step-children can't play outside either because of the waste and awful smell.

"Since the rubbish has been left there, we are dealing with a lot more foxes, rats and mice than normal." The resident - who asked not to be named - said their rubbish has been building up since bin drivers in Coventry went on strike. "There has been a few reports made to [the] council but no action has yet been taken," he added.

Coventry City Council were approached for a comment but did not respond.

[dutchman]

Coventry bin strike cost to council laid bare in new report

Coventry City Council spent an extra £2.1 million on its waste collection services in just two months as a result of bin strikes this year. Lost income, kerbside collections and bin drop-off sites all contributed to the overspend, according to a new council report.

The total cost of the strikes from January to March 2022 was £4.3 million but this was off-set by the reduced cost of salaries, fuel and waste disposal costs, leaving a net overspend of £2.1 million. It comes as the city enters its sixth month of bin strikes after drivers voted for an all-out strike earlier this year (January 31.)

The action saw temporary bin drop-off sites opened across the city to avoid rubbish piling up on the streets amid the disruption, though these were later closed. Coventry City Council also used its emergency powers to give waste collection contracts to Tom White Waste with provision for extensions up to September 2023.

Negotiations are still ongoing between the council and Unite, which represents the striking drivers. Now in a report of the council's Revenue and Capital Outturn 2021/22 the cost of bin strikes up to March 31 has been laid bare.

The report showed that in 2021-22 the council went over-budget by £3.1 million on its Waste & Fleet Services, mostly because of the industrial action. Report author, Finance Manager Paul Jennings, wrote that the overspend "largely relates to the direct impact of the refuse driver strike or strike mitigation costs."

A total of £2.8 million of the money went on domestic waste collection and £0.4 on commercial collections. Kerbside collections of household waste cost an extra £1.6 million and half as much was spent on temporary bin drop-off sites relating to the strikes.

But £0.6 million of the spending was offset by reduced salary and waste disposal costs, and there were further savings of £0.1 million on fuel. Loss of commercial waste income "entirely as a result of strike action" totalled £1.9 million over the year.

However, much of this (£1.5 million) was also offset by reductions in salary and waste disposal costs. Separately, sickness cover and leave across the bin collection service cost saw the council spend almost £1 million extra.

Combined with an extra £0.1 million this led to a total overspend of £3.1 million on the waste services.

[rebbonk]

Time to put a final offer to the strikers: return or you are fired!