Recycling centres & tips in Manchester to close

The centres will remain closed ‘until further notice’ - 

Recycle for Greater Manchester announced

It means that places like recycling centres will not remain open.
An announcement was made on the Recycle for Greater Manchester website.
It read: “Following on from the Prime Minister’s announcement on March 23, all Recycling Centres are closed until further notice. Please stay at home.”

Residents are urged to check their local council’s website for up to date information about how the announcement would impact collections from homes.

Manchester

According to the Manchester City Council website, food and garden recycling bins will be collected every two weeks instead of every week. All other collections remain unaffected.

Bolton

A post on the Bolton Council website says: “At this stage priority will be given to the collection of grey bins, food waste containers and green bins. Recycling bins will be emptied where possible so please continue to present all bins on the appropriate collection day. If your bins are not emptied please take them back onto your property until your next scheduled collection day, as we will not be able to return for any that have not been emptied.”

Bury

The Bury Council website says they are ‘unable to carry out as many collections as usual’.
It says: “Brown bin collections are cancelled this week (23-27 March) and next (30 March to 3 April) while we prioritise emptying grey, green and blue bins instead.”

Oldham

The Oldham Council website asks residents not to place any garden waste out for collection. They are urged to use green bins and caddies for food waste only.
The website adds: “Place all bins out for collection as normal. Should we not collect your bin on its scheduled collection day please take it back onto your property and put it out again on your next collection day.”

Rochdale

People in Rochdale are being urged to put out their bins as normal. “If we’re not able to collect your bin on its scheduled collection day please take it back onto your property and put it out again on your next collection day”, the website says.

Stockport

People in Stockport should put their bins out as normal.

Tameside

For information, visit https://public.tameside.gov.uk/forms/bin-dates.asp

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Bury Council Boss Gets 'Social Isolation'!

by Brian Bamford

Who Has Priority? 

 Editor:  Yesterday Joe Bailey a retired street cleansing worker, wrote to N V the following letter in which he questioned the situation for refuse workers etc. in the light of the current coronavirus:

 

'Not wishing to stick my nose where it is not wanted and I know the Coronavirus alarm has to be treated with delicate caution. Having said that, I've heard nothing from the media on bin men , postman, tip workers carrying out their duties.

'I have had a quick look at council websites re COVID-19.

Bin men do not always wear gloves (cloth or PVC) when handling bins. They have to touch the same lifting gear (buttons etc).

'Then their hands are all over the cab. The viruses have a 48 hour life span on plastic surfaces according to the BBC. Obviously I don’t have a degree in public health - but a lot of bins are not very clean – whether the scum sustains the virus is open to question – even if the handle is wiped. Also members of the public touch the bins with their bare hands. Most go out on collection day. Bin men are not insured for work on private property.

'The bin men are bunched up in the cab. Street Cleansing staff are usually in confined cabs.

'The BBC presenters sit at least a metre apart in an open atmosphere.

'I know you know all this. I will be copying this to Hazards.

'It would be good if the council published the risk assessment on their websites.'

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When we contacted the Bury binmen we got the following response from a binman at Bradley Fold Waste Depot in Bury:

Hi Brian

'We had a meeting last week outside with his Lordship (Glenn Stuart - manager at Bradley Fold Waste Depot), to which he told us that we are priority workers at bury mbc (dont know if that's his words or someone further up the line).  So for the moment its carry on as normal and come in if you feel you are not affected. We asked about social distancing (this is why he had the meeting outside)yet we were still sent out with 3 crew members in a cab!!  So once again Bury mbc are quoting the advice yet ignoring it when it comes to the bins. Dont know if things will change tomorrow will let you know. The advice from Kent council you sent me sounds good advice.  He did however (you'll like this)end the meeting by telling us that his wife suffers from auto immune disease and from Friday last week, he will be self isolating for 12 weeks!!'

Fancy that!  In't it alright for some?

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What’s An Essential Worker?

by Les May

IN the late 1940s and early 50s my dad worked for Rochdale Cleansing Department.  At different times he had three jobs; he worked ‘on the tubs’, which meant he went round the outlying districts collecting half barrel sized containers for disposal at the sewage works of what is euphemistically called ‘night soil’, he was also a road sweeper and a dustman.

Our house was filled with books which had been discarded along with the ash from coal fires, I had a rocking horse from the same sources and a large ‘tin bath’ also came his way and hung from a large nail on the backyard wall.

The clamour for diversity does not seem to stretch to waste disposal, at least in Rochdale. It’s a job which seems to be more of less exclusively the preserve of white men, and I’ve yet to hear a media feminist making a song and dance about it.  Selective outrage is the order of the day.

I was reminded of my dad when I heard the advice that anyone who could, should ‘work from home’.  We’d soon notice if our bins were not collected for three months, but who thinks of referring to ‘dustmen’ as essential workers?

We hear the news that the government is at last beginning to meet the desperate need for doctors and nurses to have the best possible personal protective equipment.  We are told to wash our hands frequently, to avoid buses, meeting friends and to keep at least two metres apart if we leave the house.

What we don’t hear is how people like dustmen are going to do any of these things. They will spend part of the day in a crowded cab travelling to the start of their round.  They’ll handle dozens of bins not knowing whether the person who put them out is suffering from Covid19, not yet showing symptoms, but infected and shedding virus particles or fit as a butcher’s dog, and each evening they will go home to their family.

At the very least they should be provided with adequate amounts of hand gel, a plentiful supply of wet wipes and anything else which might help to prevent them becoming infected with the virus causing Covid19.

There is one thing we can all do to reduce the risk of infection being passed to them. We can sterilise the handles of our bins after we put them out.  Wiping them over with a solution of one part bleach and twenty parts water (0.25% bleach) and allowing this to remain on the handles as long as possible will go a long way to doing this.

Just because you have no symptoms of Covid19 now does not mean that you are not incubating the disease.  You’ll miss your dustman if he does not call next week because he is ill. 

*********************** 

The Horror Stories of Agency Workers

 Agency Worker Binman Dies while sick on the job

UNTIL recently when the Unite union passed a policy decision last year the union had no proper policy on the employment of agency workers.  In January 2018, a scandal occured in Greater Manchester in Bury Council's waste depot at Bradley Fold when a manager and an agency worker was in a scuffle following a dispute in which the boss had dismissed the agency worker's appeal that after 8-years working full out as a refuse worker for Bury Council he should be taken on full time.

The local police were informed about the incident when the manager sporting a black eye contacted them.  Following further inquires the police asked the branch secretary for a crime number but Human Resources at Bury MBC said the refuse manager, Glenn Stuart, had reported the incident and only he could supply the crime number and Mr. Stuart faled to reply to a union request for more information on this case.

The agency worker had told the local Unite branch secretary that the police wer reluctant to act because it was only his word against the manager and there were no other witnesses as the incident occured in the office of the manager and the blinds were down.

London Death of a Binman

On the 25th, July, a 45-year-old man became ill while labouring on a shift on a Veolia refuse lorry whe temperatures hit 37C.  The man, who has not yet been named, working for only his second day on the job collapsed while emptying bins in Thornton Heath, south London.  Private Eye reports that the man 'wasn't a Veolia employee, but had been hired in as cover from an agency.'  Also neither Veolia nor Croydon council made any public statement about the death until they were force to do so by the local media.

Local anecdotal reports from the staff of Veolia has suggested that the lad had been feeling unwell and had rung up his spervisors to ask if he could go home,  It is alleged that he was warned that if he didn't finish his shift, he wouldn't be given further work.

Despite this a later announcement  issued to the Croydon Guardian newspaper by Veolia now contradicts the earlier statement.  Veolia's new story has been changed to say that the agency worker was taken ill 'without warning'.  Private Eye reports that so far Veolia's PR word spinners have refused to explain why they changed their story.

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BIRMINGHAM BIN STRIKE CALLED OFF

UNITE, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, has called off the Birmingham bin strike that was set for Friday 8 March after a new deal was tabled.

A ‘heads of settlement agreement’ has been drawn up between Unite and Birmingham city council. This is the first time that an agreement that meets the union’s expectations has been put on the table.

Strike suspended

As a consequence and to allow Birmingham’s cabinet to discuss the proposed offer the strike action scheduled for tomorrow has been suspended.  If the cabinet approves the deal than the bins strike concerning ‘secret payments' and the ‘blacklisting’ of Unite members will have concluded.

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said:  'The heads of settlement is a real breakthrough in negotiations.
'For the first time there is a deal on the table which meets Unite’s members expectations, it is now imperative that Birmingham council’s cabinet signs up to the deal.
'I am sure that Birmingham residents will be keeping their fingers crossed that the cabinet does the right thing and this long running dispute is finally brought to a close.'

Three days of action

Since the dispute started there have been three days of strike action. An overtime ban and a work to rule have been in place since the end of December 2018.

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Dodgy Jobs & Precarious Employment

by Brian Bamford

AT the 5th Policy Conference of the Unite union last July, two motions were carried calling for campaigns to 'ensure that all workers employed on temporary, permanent, or fixed term contracts or through agencies should have their rights and protections from the first day of employment...'

These policy changes followed an incident at Bury MBC's waste depot at Bradley Fold last February*, in which an agency worker querying his own rights and status with the manager ended up in a altercation in which the manager got a black eye.  That agency worker had done 8-years on the bins in insecure employment; a binman at Rochdale MBC, we learn, had done 15-years in the same situation.

Other workers on the bins at the Bury Depot, believed that there was a cover-up about who struck the first blow.  The matter was reported to the police but later dropped.

Concern a year ago was triggered by the liquidation of Carillion in January, but after the dramatic event at Bradley Fold the Bury Unite Commercial Branch accused the Union of 'being asleep at the wheel'. 

Since the Bury Unite Branch issued a series of Freedom of Information requests about the goings on in Bury MBC with regard to agency workers, the bosses have started taking on staff on 6-month temporary contracts.   The worry is that the though the permanent staff on the bins in Bury are mainly in the union few, if any, of these temporary workers are.

What is now being demanded by the Unite union now is to establish that if a worker is under the control or direction of a company like Bury MBC, then that worker will be deemed to be an employee and enjoy all the rights that status infers.

Read more:  
* northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com/2018/09/lovely-black-eyes-agency-workers.htm

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Court Win for Birmingham Bin Men

FOLLOWING a High Court decision supporting the Birmingham binmen in September. Birmingham City Council has had to withdraw the redundancy notices it had served on 113 binmen.  This was after a long 'Summer of Discontent' and a work-to-rule by the lads over job losses and pay cuts.

It is reported in his union's magazine Autumn issue Unite Works:'The shock redundancies came after Unite and the council agreed to an Acas deal with compromise on both sides - the coucil then reneged on the deal without warning, later prompting council leader John Clancy to resign.'

Now Howard Beckett, Unite's assistant general secretary, says:
'This judgement will be a huge relief to Birmingham bin workers, who in just a matter of weeks facing losing their job or pay cuts of up to £5,000 a year.'

MR. Beckett  called on Birmingham City Council Cheif Executive, Stella Manzie, to follow Mr. Clancy and stand down for her part in scuppering the Acas deal.

'{The High Court] ruling underlines that Unite will not shrink away from using all the tools at its disposal to defend its members and the services they deliver,' Beckett said.

'We urge the council to stop wasting further taxpayer's money in defending its dishourable actions and honour Acas deal which offers compromises on all sides and will settle this dispute once and for all.'

This dispute was caused by Birmingham Council trying to drop the grade 3 bin loader's job which would have left workers facing pay cuts of up to £5,000 to keep a position in the refuse service.

Birmingham Bin Strike Suspended

WHEN the Unite union took the Birmingham council to the High Court, claiming the move to make workers redundant was unlawful, it resulted in a judge granting an interim injunction against the council's actions.  As a consequence Unite suspended its strike action immediately from last Thursday.

A trial will now take place in November to determine if the council has acted against the law, yet Mr. Justice Fraser urged all parties to come to an agreement before the prospect of an expensive court case.

Council Leader Quit

Former council leader John Clancy resigned following criticism of his handling of the action, which came after Labour councillors proposed a no-confidence motion in their leader.
After workers had been on strike for seven weeks, Mr Clancy struck a deal with them saying no jobs would be lost and the action was suspended.
But two weeks later a council report said the deal was 'unaffordable', and redundancy notices were issued - sending workers back to the picket lines.
Mr Clancy said a deal had never been fully agreed with the union, but days later resigned from his position saying he accepted he had made mistakes 'for which he is sorry' and took 'full responsibility'.

Reasons why the Council is making people redundant

Basically, it's all about saving money.  The council says it faces 'significant financial challenges' and needs a 'high-quality, value-for-money and reliable refuse service'.
Due to government funding cuts, the authority says spending on waste management has reduced from £71m in 2011 to £65m in 2017, and it says if it does nothing the overspend will be £5.2m in future years.
It also says that compared to other councils, Birmingham is not meeting national productivity levels and it needs to improve.  Failing to improve productivity and efficiency is 'not an option', according to the local authority.

Birmingham's Bungled Bin Strike

THE Birmingham bin strike fiasco is facing several separate probes as the Labour Party leadership crisis grips the city council.
Council sources suggest the crisis surrounding council leader John Clancy and his bungled attempts to tackle a strike deal with trade unions are now the subject of a series of top level investigations.
The probes are set to be conducted by the Government, the Labour Party and the Local Government Association, as well as a separate inquiry by the council.
Next week, Councillor Clancy faces a vote of no confidence over his ‘serious mishandling’ of the dispute.
Still no end is in sight for the bin strike, which has seen piles of black bags across the city’s streets since the end of June.  Today the council is using a mixture of agency staff and contract companies to shift the bins on an emergency basis.

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Doncaster Bin-men's Strike called-off!

 Report from Rotherham Advertiser  

by Michael Upton | 22/08/2017

PLANNED strikes by dustmen in Doncaster which were due to begin tomorrow have been called off after a last minute pay offer was agreed.

But officials from trade union Unite warned that further industrial action was likely if an agreement is not reached with the private contractor 'Suez' over proposals to make over 100 of the 250 strong workforce redundant.

The workforce will receive a two per cent increase backdated to April 2017 and a further 2.7 per cent increase from September 2017.
Workers will see their pay further boosted with an additional 2.7 per cent increase earmarked for March 2018 brought forward and paid from September 2017.

The overall pay increase means that workers will be on average £1 an hour better off.
It was further agreed that during the lifetime of the contract the workforce will receive an annual pay increase equal to RPIx.

The redundancies are linked to a new refuse and recycling contract tendered by Doncaster Council, which is due to begin in April 2018.
Unite said it was determined to minimise job losses and an “absolute red line” for the union was that Suez removed the threat to make workers compulsorily redundant.
Strike action had been scheduled to begin tomorrow and run until Sunday, with another walkout planned from September 2 to 6.

Talks will begin at arbitration service Acas on Friday to allow for detailed negotiations to take place to discuss the new Doncaster refuse contract which will include “different collection methodologies, frequencies and collection crews”.

Unite regional officer, Shane Sweeting, said: “This deal has dramatically improved the wages of our members and means many of them are being paid above poverty pay rates for the first time.

“Residents of Doncaster will be relieved that their refuse collection will not be seriously disrupted by strike action this week.

“However until Suez withdraws the threat to make over 100 refuse workers compulsorily redundant the possibility of industrial action this autumn remains very much on the table.”

Nick Browning, of Suez, said: “In addition to securing a pay award for 2017, the long-term deal also sets in place a sustainable pay mechanism for up to ten years — linked to the cost of living.
“We would like to thank the residents of Doncaster for their patience and understanding while these negotiations have been ongoing.”

www.rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/view,bin-strikes-averted-as-union-strikes-deal-with-waste-firm_23565.htm

Birmingham Bin Strike: Council Back Down!

BIN collections in Birmingham are to resume after weeks of mounting rubbish caused misery for the city's residents.  Industrial action has been suspended as progress was made in a long-running dispute involving refuse collection workers, conciliation service Acas said.

Before the latest development the Unite union had warned that the dispute could last until Christmas, with workers campaigning against plans to cut more than 100 waste collection jobs.

What we know so far says the Birmingham Mail:  The bin strike which has crippled Birmingham for almost two months has been suspended.
The breakthrough came after the city council and the Unite union held talks via the Acas conciliation service.
The news means the mountains of rubbish left festering on the city's streets since the dispute began in June will finally be cleared, although there was no immediate timescale for the clean-up.
The resolution will bring joy to residents who have had to cope with packed bin bags piled high, while flies, maggots and rats were widely reported.
Acas has said in a statement:
'Birmingham City Council and Unite the Union have today made sufficient progress in their talks for the Shop Stewards to pause industrial action.
'Birmingham City Council cabinet members have agreed in principle that the grade 3 posts will be maintained.
'Consequently there are no redundancy steps in place.
'In addition the parties will now look to discuss, through ACAS, how the service can be improved, with the intention of improving efficiencies in performance of the bin collection service generally, including what savings can be made, and specifically how best the current Grade 3 roles can now be maintained and developed so that they take forward the ambition to deliver cleaner streets and align to wider Total Place principles.
 'Unite have also agreed in principle to recommend to their members work pattern changes, including consideration of a five-day working week.
'Both parties agree the working week should be designed to maximise service delivery.
'To assist in the resolution of outstanding issues both parties will go to ACAS.
'These discussions will be with the intention of incorporating any agreement as an amendment to the Waste Management Service Cabinet Report in September 2017.
'Both parties are pleased to be recommencing industrial relations and pleased that the bin collection can resume without disruption.'
Acas said the parties had made 'sufficient' progress in their talks for industrial action to be paused, with council cabinet members agreeing in principle that Grade 3 posts will be maintained, and consequently there are no redundancy steps in place.
Unite has also agreed in principle to recommend to its members work pattern changes, including consideration of a five-day working week, Acas said, with both parties agreeing that the working week should be designed to maximise service delivery.
Discussions are set to continue on how the service can be improved, with the intention of improving efficiencies in performance of the bin collection service generally, including what savings can be made.
To assist in the resolution of outstanding issues both parties will go to Acas.
Unite said the Grade 3 jobs are responsible for the safety at the rear of the refuse vehicles.
There are now expectation that similar conflicts will occur across the country, and Doncaster has been mentioned as an area of conflict in the near future.

Birmingham Bin Strikes!

FOR weeks Birmingham has been enduring a series of rolling strikes by their bin men belonging to the UNITE union, who are accusing their Labour Council employing them of 'playing games', and being set on conflict rather than negotiation over proposed changes in working practices on the job.and the downgading of supervisors positions. 

The dispute is now in its fourth week has been extended from one and two-hour stoppages a day on June 30th, to three-hour stoppages last week and is now planned to continue until September.  

According to The Guardian:

'The UNITE union claims restructuring plans threaten the jobs of more than 120 staff and that workers on £21,000 a year could face a pay cut of up to £5,000. The Labour-run local authority argues that its plans to modernise the service would save £5m a year at a time when council budgets have been cut by central government.'

The UNITE union has said that redundancy notices were sent to staff, mainly the 133 leading hands, while talks are ongoing sparking fury among the members.

Howard Beckett, an assistant general secretary of UNITE, said if talks failed then industrial action, already planned to run up to the middle of September, would escalate, resulting in more waste going uncollected.
'I would also ask the Birmingham public to understand that strike action is a last resort for our members and places them in considerable financial hardship,” he said. “The reality is they have been left with no choice because of the regrade of their jobs and loss of income, which is simply unaffordable for our members.'

The dispute over changes to working practices and the downgrading of supervisor jobs has now entered its third week with no sign of a resolution in sight.
And the trade union Unite has accused the Labour run council of ‘playing games’ and being set on conflict rather than genuine negotiation. It says that redundancy notices were sent to staff, mainly the 133 leading hands, while talks are ongoing sparking fury among the members.
The extension of strike action means further misery for thousands of residents who have already seen overflowing wheelie bins left uncollected, or picked up days late, for weeks.

Councillor Cecile Biant on Fly-Tipping

Rochdale Councillor Biant representing Spotland & Falign Ward!
FOLLOWING the report in Northern Voices on the Rochdale Township Committeee Meeting at the Riverside building in Rochdale town centre, one of the Labour councillors for Spotland & Falinge ward, Cecile Biante, sent the response below.  Spotand & Falinge ward is where Spodden Valey is situated. (Editor)

Hello Brian,

What a lot of nonsense! We already had a paper in front of us with the answers to the questions which the officer read out, and the ward councillors knew anyway. The Head of Public Protection had been on leave for 2 weeks, that is why Mick Coates did not get a specific response from Wendy Cocks, a fellow Councillor, as she wanted to check for any updates beforehand. We discuss TBA frequently informally.

Mick proclaimed that he is an expert, and I am familiar with his employment over many years, but he apparently failed to notice that the illegal tipping was mainly inert material which did not pose an immediate health risk. The Environment Agency are dealing with this, not the Council. Mick Coates has been sent the answers to his questions  which I would have thought he would have shared with you by now.

The Councillors are all positive, friendly, knowledgeable, relaxed and diligent. We always try to respond to emails which are brief, civil, genuine requests, but not to those who are hell bent on nastiness or self-indulgence. Life is too short for that.

Most of us have a great deal of common sense, wisdom and experience. We are neither sullen nor were we sitting stiffly.

Please send me a photograph of how you sit, as I am curious to know how it compares with the Councillors present last night.

With best wishes,

Cecile Biant

Rochdale Fly-tipping Evokes Nothing Much!

MICK Coats' question about illegal fly-tipping on Spodden Valley off Rooley Moor Road, did not evoke much response from the assembled councillors on the Labour dominated Rochdale Township Committee meeting tonight.   Sullen councillors sat stiffly as Mr Coats asked what the owners of the controversial site invested with asbestos intend to do to stop or resolve the problem of the fly-tipping.
Ten days ago the Mail on Sunday journalists Ross Slater and Sanchez Manning warned of how an idyllic country estate endured the 'shocking toll of fly-tipping gangs who despoil Britain'.
The Mail story rells of how  'Balaclava-clad intruders used bolt-cutters to break into (an) estate (in rural Shropshire) .... and dump up to 200 tons of rubbish in woodland'. 
As a consequence the Mail on Sunday reports that the Staffordshire Police are appealing for information.
The Mail journalists comment on the situation regardin waste disposal across the country that we in Rochdale are all familiar with:
'Local authority waste collection services are being cut, leading to criminals offering to dispose of waste at knockdown prices.  They then dump it illegally.'
As the Mail on Sunday rages about the crisis of illegal dumping, Mr. Coats appealed the Rochdale councillors tonight for some kind of response but amid the concern about the state of debis being deposited on the slopes of Spodden Valley, from the assembled councillors reply came there none!
The best Mick Coats can hope for is that a written reply will be forthcoming shortly.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' at Bury Unite Branch

ALLEGATIONS that 'pressure' was put on the Bury Unite Commercial Branch to nominate Len McCluskey, the current General Secretary of Unite the Union, for re-election in the forthcoming elections for Unite's top job have been rebutted by the local branch secretary Brian Bamford.   The claim was made on Twitter by one of the candidates that the presence of two Unite full-time organisers at last Monday's branch meeting was a failed attempt to influence the Bury branch to vote for Mr. McCluskey, a strong backer of Jeremy Corbyn the Labour Party leader.

The Unite union at present funds the Labour Party to the tune of many millions of pounds every year.

The row about the Bury branch being 'pressurised' to back McCluskey arose because of a Tweet on Ian Allinson's Twitter account after the branch meeting, implying that the organisers were there to influence the result.  Mr. Allinson is one of the three candidates standing for the top position of Unite General secretary. 

Since then, Mr. Bamford has insisted that 'the Bury Unite Branch blooms with binmen not shrinking violets and there is no way we could be leaned on by the union bosses'. 

The two organisers were allowed to participate in the discussion over the nomination, but not to dominate the discourse or to vote.

The organisers were permitted to speak but naturally not to vote, because the Bury Unite Branch  passionately believes in 'free speech' and 'lively debate'.

It was suggested during the discussions that the nomination of Ian Allinson to appear on the ballot paper would have the effect of 'splitting the left vote' between McCluskey and Allinson.  Gerard Coyne, who is a Unite full-time organiser in the Midlands, is the third candidate and is reputed to be a 'right-wing Blairite'.

This was contested by the branch secretary Mr. Bamford, who said that the membership should have 'the widest possible choice' between the different candidates, and he claimed that the critics of Allinson by using the 'split-vote' argument were seeking to shrink the choice before the membership.  In contrast 'we' the Unite Bury branch, wanted to 'open things up and not to narrow things down'.  Bamford claimed that even though he may possibly vote for Len McCluskey it was still vital to have someone like Ian Allinson on the ballot sheet.

To argue that there should be only two choices between 'left and right' is to create a thread-bare bipolar dichotomy of 'cowboys and Indians' or 'black and white'.  This is a thoroughly 20^th century mentality, and in essence the Bury branch was preferring to embrace the spirit of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' in their approach; what they wanted, if I am interpreting the spirit of the meeting correctly, was the broadest possible discussion, debate and openness within the realm of liberty.

Those at the meeting who took the 'split vote' view then went on to say that we should look to the established experienced of experts like Mr. McCluskey from Liverpool, a professional official with many years of in the saddle of officialdom, rather than a new boy such as a shop-floor activist like Mr. Allinson from Blackley, Manchester. 

This faith in the expertise of the office-holder is as feeble-minded as the bipolar dichotomy, and is just another mediocre left-over of the old 20^th century modernity.  It is so full of holes that the average bin-man can see through it without so much as looking up from his football results. 

The bin-men of Bradley Fold, and the others on the branch committee, eventually came to a carefully calibrated conclusion, and were in no way confused or overwhelmed by any hypothetical 'hierarchical pressures' from above.

This was demonstrated by the branch's clear unanimous vote to nominate the local Manchester lad, Ian Allinson, for the position as General Secretary of Unite the Union.  We must now await to see how many Unite members vote for him.

Bury Binmen back Ian Allinson in Unite's Top Job

YESTERDAY afternoon, a Bury Unite Commercial Branch meeting of mostly binmen in the Queen's Hotel on Bradley Lane, became one of the first Unite Branches to nominate Manchester lad, Ian Allinson, for the next General Secretary of Unite the Union. 
In putting forward Mr. Allinson for the Bury branch's nomination the Branch Secretary, Brian Bamford, said that he was not so keen on 'coronations' in matters of political or union issues, and that he felt that it was important that the Unite membership get as wide a choice as possible to lead them. 
Mr. Bamford made it clear that while he respected the current leader Len McCluskey he did not think it was healthy for the union to have a narrow choice of candidates. 
There was some debate about if by putting Ian Allinson on the ballot paper the Bury Branch would be splitting the so-called 'left-vote', and one or two people at the meeting said 'Who's heard of Ian Allison outside of Manchester?'
Someone else claimed that Len McCluskey was a well-established experienced officer, and Mr. Allinson was a new boy on the block, so wouldn't it be better to support someone more knowledgeable?
In response it was then argued that many people hadn't heard of Jeremy Corbyn before he was elected as the Labour leader.  Others thought that some officers spend too long in office, and thereby lose contact with the rank and file membership.  Ian Allison, who is a convenor at Fujitsu in Manchester, is not a paid official.
The only other candidate for the General Secretary's job, Gerard Coyne, is a Unite regional officer in the Midlands.
After considering the proposals of all three candidates the meeting voted unanimously to nominate to nominate Ian Allinson for General Secretary.
For more go to:
www.iansunitesite.org.uk/

Bury Bin Boss Bans Bad Publicity!

Daily Mail reports on how Labour Council Clamps Down on Truth

HE is the man behind the UK’s first three-weekly rubbish collection service, a scheme that has left angry residents picking their way through stinking heaps of refuse. 

And now Glenn Stuart, waste ‘tsar’ for Bury, Greater Manchester, has revealed how he cracked down on negative publicity for the controversial scheme – by trying to stop photographs like (the one below) of the town’s overflowing bins.

Mr Stuart’s positive spin on his unpopular decision has gone down well in the waste-collection world.  At a conference in London last week, he was applauded by local authority executives as he boasted:

‘Any problem was nipped in the bud.  We didn’t allow photographs of overflowing bins.’

He claimed this had been achieved by showing families how to deal more efficiently with their rubbish.

But campaigners said the Labour council had tried to banish damaging images by warning people that only those bins where the lids closed fully would be emptied – a threat that had forced some families to keep rubbish indoors until the dustcart’s next visit, or take it to the tip themselves.

And despite Mr Stuart’s attempts to impose a positive spin, local activists have shared with The Mail on Sunday these pictures of Bury’s rubbish piles, two years after the scheme was introduced.

Jason Turner, who organised a 6,000-signature petition against the idea, said:

‘The council has duped the public all the way along and this latest news smacks of a cover-up. I’m all in favour of recycling but I’ve been making several trips each month to the tip since this scheme started. I’m doing the council’s job for them.’

Last night, an unrepentant Mr Stuart warned that an emptying service every three weeks – already adopted by other councils – would soon be standard practice across Britain, adding:

‘I have had lots of requests for information from colleagues in other authorities.’

And he warned that he may get tougher still to force the people of Bury into recycling, saying: ‘People have been given ample opportunity to fall in line.  We need to formulate a plan of action in terms of enforcement.’

The scheme’s opponents claim it has led to an increase in rat infestation.  Iain Gartside, leader of the Conservative group on Bury council, said:

‘It’s an absolutely disgrace, with overflowing bins and increased fly-tipping.’

Despite Mr Stuart’s attempts to impose a positive spin, local activists have shared the above image with The Mail on Sunday of one of Bury’s rubbish pilesRead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3567680/Bin-tsar-slashed-collections-one-THREE-WEEKS-tries-crack-opposition-banning-photographs-overflowing-bins.html#ixzz47bjt5PZs
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3567680/Bin-tsar-slashed-collections-one-THREE-WEEKS-tries-crack-opposition-banning-photographs-overflowing-bins.html#ixzz47bdC1gdS

Some Consequences of Bin Collection Cuts

Letter to the Rochdale Observer; published 2nd, April 2016:

28th, March 2016.

 

Dear Editor,

 

The news that the number of bin complaints in Rochdale have nearly doubled in the three months since three-weekly bin collections began last October, ought not to come as a surprise (see Rochdale Ob. Sat. 26^th, March 2016).    Over a year ago my Bury Unite Commercial Branch predicted that there would be an increased in missed bins owing to overflowing bins with raised bin lids, and that there would be rise in side waste and fly-tipping. 

 

This kind of thing is happening throughout Greater Manchester; two weeks ago in the Heywood Advertiser (10^th, March 2016) there were reports of residents calling for a ‘clampdown’ on fly-tipping in Heywood , and in the Bury Times earlier this year there was coverage of a Freedom of Information request from me which showed that complaints about vermin in Bury had increased by 18.16% in the first year of three-weekly collections by Bury MBC up to November 2015.  Bury MBC being the pioneer council in cutting bin collections of non-recyclable material.

 

In Bury, the council has blamed the public for failing to dispose of their rubbish properly, but at a full Rochdale council meeting earlier this year Councillor Peter Rush complained that the public were slow at grasping the process of recycling, and that he hoped that the younger generation would educate their parents in good environmental practice.   Despite these troubles the Rochdale Council bosses are still claiming '[t]he new bin collection service has been a great success'.

 

Yours sincerely,

Brian Bamford:  Secretary of Bury Unite Commercial Branch North West 353.

Bury Council blame public for rat rise

The report below is taken from

 today's Bury Times (the headline is ours),
and is the result of a Freedom of Information

request by the Bury Unite Branch:

RATS are being spotted more often because bins are being emptied less often, union bosses claim. Leaders of Bury Unite commercial branch, which represents bin men who work across the borough, made a Freedom of Information request to Bury Council asking about vermin complaints before and after three-weekly bin collections were introduced in October 14.
In the 12 months up to the change there were 1,514 complaints, compared with 1,789 in the 12 months after.

The branch's secretary Brian Bamford said:
'This represents a 18.16 per-cent rise since the change. What the public deserve is some honesty from Bury Council about the downside of what is happening when they introduce changes to like the three-weekly collections.  There must be no suggestion of a cover-up on these matters.'
Mr Bamford was referring to previous comments made by Elton councillor Susan Southworth when she said:
'There is no evidence there will be a detrimental impact on public health such as vermin, unpleasant smells and fly tipping.'
One bin man, who asked not to be named in fear of losing his job, said:
'There are definitely more rats and flies now.  I don't think they can solve the problem unless they go back to fortnightly collections.  When we are out on the rounds, we get complaints from people who say they are not getting value for money from their council tax.'
A Bury Council spokesman said there was no clear correlation between the frequency of collections and the number of vermin reports.
He added that complaints fell when fortnightly collections were introduced in 2012/13.
The spokesman said:
'There are a number of reasons why the number of incidents we deal with may have increased last year, such as having a mild winter.  Unfortunately, there are a number of cases where irresponsible people simply throw all their rubbish into the back street rather than disposing of it properly. This is in sharp contrast to the majority of residents, whose efforts have led to Bury having its highest ever recycling rate.  We thank them, and urge everyone to put the right stuff in the right bin.'
http://www.burytimes.co.uk/news/14252902.Bury_bin_men_say_they_are_seeing_more_rats_since_3_week_collections_were_introduced/ ),

Missed Bins in Greater Manchester

THE troubled Bradley Fold Waste Depot in Bury was not able to 'collate their figures to respond' to a Freedom of Information request to Bury Council for the figures showing the number of complaints in the borough about missed bin collections.  Last Wednesday the Manchester Evening News ran a report which showed that there had been 'more than 10,000 complaints over missed wheelie bin collections received by councils in Greater Manchester this year' so far.


Bury, Bolton, Oldham and Rochdale councils had said 'they couldn't collate their figures to respond'.  Manchester City Council shows the worst level of complaints with 3,169 complaints this year, compared with 2,560 last year.


The Manchester Even News says:  'the situation seems to be getting worse as according to the figures, just 8,033 reports were submitted for the whole of last year.'  It's only late October up to now.


The trade union, the Bury Unite Commercial Branch, has been warning for the last two years that the position will deteriorate owing to the decision by councils like Bury and now Rochdale etc, to reduce the number of rounds and regular collections.


Sources close to the councils in Greater Manchester tell us that because of the reduced collections that there is more side waste being left of the streets and of course more fly tipping.