Cityclean to take industrial action - council statement
Following notification of strike action by HGV drivers in the council’s Cityclean service, the council has restated its continuous commitment to working with the Trade Unions and staff to resolve the dispute and provide a good service to residents.
A spokesperson said:
“Covid has had a detrimental impact on the health of Cityclean staff and has seen many unavoidably having to take time off because of being unwell or needing to self-isolate.
“The country also now faces a national shortage of HGV drivers due mainly to EU HGV drivers no longer being able to obtain visas to work in the UK.
“Combined, we know these factors have created pressure within the Cityclean service and we thank all Cityclean staff who have continued to work incredibly hard in these challenging and unprecedented times.
“To provide the best service for the city and to support staff, there are occasions where it’s felt appropriate to make crew changes or move a member of staff from one round or crew to another.
“We believe these requests are made openly and fairly and any concerns about round changes are quickly responded to by managers.
“We take the concerns of staff seriously, which has seen officers make a number of recent commitments and offers to GMB and drivers for them to consider.
“Meetings are planned to continue over the next few weeks where we hope to have positive discussions with GMB with the aim of:
- mutually agreeing a resolution;
- avoiding industrial action; and
- achieving our shared vision of a city where we tackle waste and recycling together, continue collaboratively with Cityclean modernisation plans and provide the best service for residents.
“We look forward to being able to continue these discussions with the GMB and once again reiterate our commitment to finding a positive resolution for both staff and the city.”