Strike action, by recycling workers in Bath and North Somerset – members of Unite, will be holding a series of 48 hour stoppages starting at 00:01 on:
Thursday 21 January and Friday 22 January 2016
Thursday 28 January and Friday 29 January 2016
Thursday 4 February and Friday 5 February 2016
Thursday 11 February and Friday 12 February 2016
The Unite members are in dispute with Kier Ltd in Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) after rejecting the company’s latest paltry pay offer in an ongoing £2 an hour pay disparity dispute.
The workers, operating out of the Keynsham depot, voted overwhelmingly for strike action with 86 per cent in favour and 100 per cent in favour of action short of strike at the end of December 2015, over pay inequality which sees them being paid up to 25 per cent less than employees at the nearby Bristol site.
The Unite members rejected the company’s latest 3 per cent pay offer at a meeting held on Thursday 7 January following make-or-break talks at the conciliation service, Acas.
Read more details here – Recycling collectors reject paltry offer with planned strikes
Bristol Trades Union Council 
Peter Hughes, South West Regional Secretary of Unite, has issued the following appeal –
I am writing to you on behalf of our members at the Kier Keynsham recycling collection depot who are currently engaged in industrial action in support of a pay rise. The action currently consists of a work to rule and overtime ban with discontinuous strikes; there is the serious possibility that this action will need to be escalated to persuade the employer to change its stance and reach agreement.
You may already be aware of this struggle and my purpose in writing to you is to ask that your branch consider donating some money to the strike fund to enable these members to prosecute this dispute to a successful conclusion. Kier has a number of contracts – not only in the South West but also across the country – and has decided that the demands of this relatively small workforce are both “significantly beyond reality” and their “actions are unacceptable”. It is clear that the position Kier has taken is designed to dissuade workers at the other depots from having the audacity to demand more pay than they believe to be reasonable, and are not negotiating with a serious commitment.
Re-cycling loaders and drivers undertake an unpleasant yet essential job that is done in all weathers, often with poor PPE, with the loaders being paid a paltry £7.81/hr and driver/loaders £10.16/hr.
Please give serious consideration to boosting the fighting fund to help your colleagues win a satisfactory settlement.
Strike Fund donations will be held in the Regions General Fund where they will be earmarked. I would ask that if branches wishing to make a donation via bank transfer they use their branch number in the reference. The Regions Finance department will maintain a list of all donations so that the recipient branch can send acknowledgements.
The account details are as follows:
Sort Code 60-83-01
Account No: 33201009
Account name: SW Region General Fund.
Thanking you in anticipation of your generosity.
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