Waste operatives belonging to the trade union Unite working for Biffa Waste Services in Wirral staged a walkout yesterday (7 April) over Covid-19 safety concerns.

Biffa has refuted accusations levelled by Unite that it is failing to take the safety of waste waste workers seriously by instructing “up to three crew members to share a cab” in refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) on waste collection rounds.

Unite claims that Biffa is not adhering to coronavirus social distancing measures, placing employees and their families at “needless risk”.

The claim follows the publication of guidance last Thursday (2 April) by the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) on reducing the risk of Covid-19 in the waste management sector.

The non-statutory guidance advises reducing the number of persons who share cab space, using single-person or twin-person operations where ‘reasonably practicable’. However, it acknowledges that this may not always be possible and so presses waste management services to maintain high standards of hygiene to limit the spread of infection.

A spokesperson for Biffa has responded to Unite’s, stating: “Protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and the members of the communities we serve is always Biffa’s priority and this has been of paramount importance during the Covid-19 crisis.

“Waste management is an essential service and as key workers, Biffa’s employees have been working hard to ensure that our critical services across the UK continue.

“We strongly refute Unite’s claim that we have failed to take the health concerns of our employees seriously. We have worked proactively and closely with the union over the recent weeks and have given their union representatives direct access to the Wirral site manager, which has ensured regular and close dialogue.

“We are closely monitoring and strictly following the guidance set out by both Public Health England (PHE) and WISH. We are confident that we are adhering to the expert advice given to our industry and all reasonable and practical measures are being taken at our Wirral site.

“In this time of crisis, our focus is on making sure we continue to protect and support our staff whilst delivering critical waste management services which operating businesses and the public are relying on, with as little disruption as possible. We remain fully open to further conversation and dialogue with the union.”

Unite regional officer Steven Gerrard said: “For over a fortnight Unite has been trying to ensure that Biffa introduced measures to protect our members and they have failed to do so. We have been calling for an urgent meeting to find a safe workable solution to our member’s health concerns, but these calls have been ignored.

“Our members have informed us that enough is enough and they will not continue to have their health and the health of their families placed at needless risk. Residents of the Wirral will be alarmed that their refuse workers, who are playing a key worker role, are being treated with such disregard.

“Other councils and contractors have introduced measures to ensure social distancing, it is not rocket science and Biffa must take immediate measures to ensure the safety of its workforce.”

The Environmental Services Association (ESA), which represents the UK's waste management sector, backed Biffa and reminded that the WISH guidance on cab staff numbers was not prescriptive, pointing to guidance from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) released on 7 April.

ESA Executive Director Jacob Hayler said: “The guidance provided by Defra provides a timely reinforcement of the guidance provided by WISH with regards to keeping recycling and waste operatives safe during this pandemic.

The guidance provided by WISH, which was developed in consultation with public health authorities, is clear that the risk posed by multiple operatives sharing a cab is low if all other hygiene rules are followed diligently. We urge operators, local authorities and unions to respect and follow the guidance provided by WISH and Defra to ensure vital collection services can continue safely across the country during this crisis.”

Worker safety

Concern has been expressed by the UK waste and recycling sector over the safety of waste operatives, who have been classed as key workers by the government as they continue to carry out ‘essential’ waste services.

The WISH report considers the impact of Covid-19 on employee absence, with employees self-isolating if they or their families have symptoms or are vulnerable. The report states that: ‘At a low-end 15 per cent of workers may be absent, and at a high-end some estimates range to in excess of 50 per cent. Such levels of absence would very likely have a significant effect on the delivery of essential waste management activities.’

UK waste management companies released a joint statement last month (25 March) calling for cooperation from households to follow government guidelines on waste and hygiene to reduce Covid-19 transmission and protect the health of collection operatives.

Yesterday’s walkout was not the first time that Unite and Biffa have come to blows in Wirral. Though Unite maintains that the two issues are unrelated, refuse workers in Wirral voted in favour of strike action last month (26 March) following a pay dispute with Biffa. However, due to the necessity of maintaining waste services during the coronavirus crisis, Unite decided to postpone the strike.