Waste workers who were docked wages and annual leave after taking the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday off could strike later this year, a union has warned.
The GMB has launched a consultative ballot for industrial action as it accuses Renfrewshire Council of an “unlawful deduction of wages”.
If approved by members, it could see bins left unemptied and landscaping works halted.
The dispute arose after bosses at the local authority’s street scene and waste management departments told employees they would not be entitled to the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday off - something that had been agreed for almost all council employees.
But the affected workers failed to turn up for duty on June 5 as they believed the 11-year period in which they were routinely offered bank holidays created “an implied term of employment”.
Furious chiefs at Paisley’s Underwood Road depot, however, refused to accept their stance and docked 10 hours’ wages from all staff. A day of annual leave was also deducted from workers.
The blanket approach was also applied to a member of staff on sick leave with cancer.
Kirsten Muat, Renfrewshire organiser for the GMB, told the Paisley Daily Express that the affected workers were entitled to the bank holiday as any deviation from an “implied term of employment” can only be changed through consultation with trade unions.
She said: “Not only did management effectively steal a public holiday from these workers, they also took a day’s pay off those unfortunate enough to be off work with serious illnesses such as cancer.
“Since an agreement was signed in 2012, working on public holidays has always been voluntary, it is unacceptable for the council to now renege on that position without any consultation or agreement from the workforce.
“In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the council has chosen to punitively deduct wages from some of their lowest paid workers.
“They need to apologise to these workers and pay them back the money they are due.”
The GMB had first launched a grievance with Renfrewshire Council over the deduction of wages, but the complaint was thrown out last week.
Kirsten said the failure of the council to resolve the issue over several months means the GMB has no option but to move to a consultative ballot.
Should it gather enough support, a second statutory ballot will be held.
But a spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council said staff in essential services “often work bank holidays” and get a day-off in lieu instead.
This is what happened for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and is the typical way of working over the festive period.
He said: “In September 2021, the council agreed that the late spring bank holiday would be moved from May 30, 2022 to Thursday, June 2 and that there would an extra day off on Friday, June 3.
“However, staff in essential services would be required to work.
“Staff were told that the service would be operating as normal on Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3.
“They were advised that people scheduled to work on June 2 would have normal terms and conditions for public holiday working applied and those down to work on June 3 would be given a day off at a later date.
“All colleagues were also informed they were expected to work as normal on these days if they were on the roster.
“If staff don’t turn up for work when they are expected to, it’s normally considered as an unauthorised absence unless they are sick or on planned leave.”
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