Category: News

Important Update for Barnet UNISON Bin workers

Dear Waste and Recycling Barnet UNISON members

First of all I want to say that you are all doing an incredible job.

I know that you have had no influence on the bin collection changes and that you have tried to tell the Council about the things that are not working over the last 11 weeks. .

I know many of you simply want to be able to go to work, complete your task,  finish, and go home.

Unfortunately the bin collection changes has brought significant problems for residents and staff.

What has Barnet UNISON been doing?

Barnet UNISON has had conversations with senior manager and Leader of Barnet Council.

Unfortunately the discussions we are having about the bin changes are limited because the information we require from management has not been provided.

We used to meet with management once a week at the Oakleigh depot, this was changed by management to fortnightly and now it is over a month (12 December 2018) since we last met.

What is wrong with the rounds?

The simple answer is we don’t know.

Only earlier this week we asked for information about all the rounds in ordee we can carefully go through each round in order to try to understand what is going on,

Unfortunately senior management are unable to provide this information at this time. This is what they said at our last meeting on 12 December 2018.

What do the workers say?

Over the last 11 weeks we have received the following feedback from our members.

Not in any particular order:

1. Because of the split depots and the traveling time to and from rounds and to and from tipping stations (Hendon and Edmonton) area based working does not appear to work.
2. The Round sheets were wrong from day one and are still wrong, which is frustrating for the drivers.
3. Work has been taken off some rounds, but it is still showing on round sheets, no one appears to know why this is happening?
4. The maps were wrong from day one and are still wrong.
5. Assisted collections are still wrong.
6. Route and round risk assessments have not been done
7. The mileage being walked by the loaders is too great.
8. The rounds are too big.
9. Putting agency staff on the same round who don’t know the borough, don’t know where they’re going and who have had no banksman training is very dangerous.
10. The trade rounds are too big and having only one loader is very dangerous, with R.A.T.S left uncollected for weeks because a big vehicle just can’t get in the alleyways.
11. Restricted access rounds have been biggest problem, again because big vehicles just can’t get into small locations.
12. Flat rounds have been a big problem, again because of access problems and the sheer volume of tonnage involved.
13. Green waste rounds have been impossible to complete even a single day because of the size of the rounds.
14. No lessons have been learnt from previous years about Xmas collections and the sheer volume of waste and Xmas trees to be collected.
15. Bulking area problems, not helped by off-hiring1 artic cab, deleting 1 job and using the other 2 staff to drive refuse rounds, leaving 1 worker to run site.
16. Too much recycling for the area to cope with, so it is up to the roof and left on site overnight. Add to this tons of green waste tipped in unsuitable holding bays also left on site overnight.
17. Not all staff trained on new vehicles.
18. Vehicles left full overnight and not fuelled up, causing knock on effects for the morning crews, also rat damage and fitters unable to do repairs, servicing and MOT’s.
19. When work is left uncompleted, no proper procedures in place to identify what’s been left and on what round or road, with sometimes several crews sent out to clear up only to find work has already been cleared.
20. No way of monitoring tonnages.
21. Supervisors and managers unable to do their jobs because they have been out loading or driving.
22. No procedures in place to pick up loaders to drop them off to other rounds to help them or take them back to the depot.
23. Bin deliveries regularly cancelled
24. Clinical waste regularly cancelled
25. Hazard round too big to complete and regularly cancelled
26. Fear some staff working over their driving and working hours to clear up work.
27. Staff being abused by members of the public because of their frustration
28. Members of the public reporting they can’t get through on the help lines and when they do no one gets back to them.
29. Staff off sick with stress, depression and injuries.
30. Household waste left uncollected for weeks.
31. Trade waste left uncollected for weeks
32. Flats left uncollected for weeks
33. Green waste left uncollected for weeks/months
34. Drivers coming from Harrow to pick up loader or vehicles in Oakleigh depot
35. No shunts have been available
36. Occasions where there may be up to 6 vehicles working on the same road
37. Saturday and Sunday working almost since the new service started.
38. High level of agency staff at both depots
39. Lack of keys or FOB’s or codes on round sheets
40. Some support crews cancelled
41. Emptying refuse, recycling and green waste into same vehicle

Barnet UNISON Bin workers please check

If there is anything we have missed or there is something you want us to bring up in our meetings with management, please contact the Barnet UNISON office on 0208 359 2088 or email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk