Bin men in Manchester say they are prepared to 'picket until Christmas' after voting to go on strike over an 'offensive' pay offer worth just 17p more an hour. Up to 220,000 homes could be affected by the strike lasting 11 days from May 3 with a further two weeks of industrial action scheduled to start on May 23.
Biffa staff voted to take industrial action in a ballot of GMB and Unite union members which closed on Tuesday (April 12) with around 90 pc in support. It comes after the outsourced waste collection company which has a contract with Manchester council offered an 'insulting' 1.75 pc pay rise for some staff.
This means loaders, who currently earn £9.97 an hour, would get an extra 17p. Drivers have been offered £13 an hour, up from £11.40 – but with their HGV licences, they claim they could get much more elsewhere in other industries.
