Members of trade union GMB employed by waste management company Kier May Gurney on a North Somerset Council contract have voted to strike over an unresolved dispute on pay.

More than 90 per cent of those employed under Kier May Gurney’s refuse contract for kerbside collections of both waste and recycling, as well as those working at the household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in Weston-super-Mare, Backwell, and Portishead, have voted to strike if there is no ‘movement’ in the waste management’s pay offer.

Negotiations on the pay review have been ongoing since April 2014, but reached a stalemate earlier this year after GMB members rejected Kier’s final pay offer. The trade union members have now voted to strike in February if no further negotiations are undertaken.

GMB Regional Officer Adi Baker commented: "GMB members have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action as a last resort in this pay dispute.

“I will now convey the result of this ballot vote to the company with a request that they heed it and offer further talks to resolve the dispute.

“If there is no movement, industrial action is inevitable, which will have a significant impact on the residents of North Somerset. I hope the company will take steps to avert this.”

GMB has also voiced frustration over the fact that Kier May Gurney has not provided it with information on the cost of the paybill and other financial details, and has begun legal proceedings to secure this information.

Speaking to Resource, a spokesperson for Kier May Gurney commented: "We have been in active discussions with our employees and the GMB since April 2014 to try to reach a resolution, and have made repeated offers as part of that process. Most recently, we made an increased offer ranging from 1.3 per cent to 1.8 per cent, which was in line with the original guidance given by the GMB.

“We are disappointed to hear that 29 GMB members have voted for strike action out of our 173-strong workforce, because we have listened to our employees, have been keen to engage with the GMB to reach a solution, and have made, what we believe, is a fair and workable offer. We remain in active dialogue with the GMB and are fully committed to ongoing negotiations. If the GMB choose not to continue with negotiations and formally notify us of industrial action, we have a full contingency plan to maintain continuity of service for the communities we serve.”

GMB/Kier blacklisting dispute

As well as this issue, GMB is in a separate dispute with Kier Group (and seven other construction companies) over its ‘failure to compensate workers they blacklisted’.

Blacklisting came to light when in 2009 the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) seized a Consulting Association database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out of employment trade union and health and safety activists, who were viewed as being ‘troublesome’.

GMB recently staged a protest demonstration at Kier May Gurney’s offices in Sandy, Bedfordshire, calling on the Human Resources Director and the Group Employee Relations Manager to apologise for ‘their part in the hurt and damage caused by their current and former employers who were involved in blacklisting at least 155 workers’.

Find out more about the blacklisting case.