Private contractors 'taunting bin men by waving money'

Published on Monday 14 September 2009 09:52

PRIVATE contractors were today accused of taunting the city council's bin men by waving money at them – as it emerged they are being paid £11 an hour to do the job.

Bin men claimed that the staff working for private firms, who have been brought in to keep the streets clear during the work to rule dispute, have been waving 10 notes as they drive past.

The claims come as a new job was advertised this week for a private refuse collector offering wages of 11 an hour.

Council bin men are paid a basic 12,000 salary, which would translate to an hourly rate of roughly 6.20 an hour. Current bonuses on offer are said to take that figure up to around 8 an hour – still well below the rate that the private staff are making.

Tam Bell, trade union Unite's city council branch secretary, admitted that there have been problems with staff being goaded by the private workers.

He said: "I have heard about them having money waved at them. The chaps that are up from Liverpool have given a few members grief – saying 'we are taking your wages and jobs'."

The hourly rate being offered to private contractors gives the first impression of the extent that the dispute will be costing the council.

"Staff are disgusted at this," said Mr Bell. "Quite clearly they cannot understand why the council is willing to spend as much as they are. All they need to do is offer their guys a decent hourly rate and this would all be sorted.

"They are obviously also thinking this won't be solved in eight weeks. That is disappointing because they have obviously got a negative attitude to the discussions and they know they don't have a solution to this."

An advert at a Jobcentre Plus in Midlothian for an experienced class 2 driver whose duties would include "driving a refuse collection vehicle throughout Edinburgh" said that 11 an hour would be offered for the temporary position that is "initially for eight weeks".

The council has repeatedly declined to comment on the amount that it is spending on private contractors, who have been working since late July.

It has recently docked the pay of staff that it has judged have done less work than they should have during their shifts.

Labour councillor Gordon Munro, whose Leith ward includes the council's Seafield depot, said: "Staff are getting their pay docked while these other workers are getting paid 11 an hour. No wonder they're outraged.

"Anecdotally, some staff have told me that they (the private contractors) have waved 10 notes in their faces provoking them. It's bad enough for that to be happening on their routes but this is doing it publicly."

Finance leader Councillor Phil Wheeler rebuffed questions in the main chamber last month about the cost of contractors – although he is facing further questions at next Thursday's full council meeting.

A freedom of information request by the Evening News was also rejected this week on the basis that the "contractor is not obliged in law to consent" to the information being released.

Unions have estimated that the weekly cost to the council could be upwards of 100,000.

Referring to the 11 an hour job, a spokesman for the city council said: "This is a private contractor and it wouldn't be appropriate for us to comment on their recruitment arrangements."