Bristol bin men (*refuse collection operatives) strike.

Snooze

Generali wrote: »

The trouble isn't so much with bin men getting a pay rise - they do a job I'd hestitate to do, they don't earn a lot of money for doing it and they get sneered at a lot by the wider public.

The problem is with the total size of the public sector. If it was smaller then perhaps we could pay our bin men (and other providers of vital services) better.

When the job entailed walking into people's back gardens and humping the black bag out of the dustbin and into the truck then yes I would agree that they deserve a decent slab of cash but these days with most (?) properties having wheelie bins it's the biggest doddle going, and I know first hand because I did it for the best part of 12 months on agency work for Leeds CC a good few years ago (it originally started out as me being Class 2 driver cover but I said I didn't mind being driver or bin 'operative').

Seriously, there's nothing to it with the wheelie bins and I actually really enjoyed it as you can have a damned good laugh with the full-time guys and you'd be finished and in the pub by 2.30.

Of course it's no surprise that they're moaning about pay because they're council workers and that's what all council workers do. They should sack the lot of them and let them find out what it's like in the real world of work where if you want paying you actually have to do some. :rolleyes:

R

SingleSue

Oh I remember the days when they used to come and get the bags from the side of the house where the dustbins were.

Now I have to haul the blooming things to the end of the path and halfway up the bleddy road...was much easier when there was a man around to do that (I may moan about the ex but at least he took the rubbish out to the designated spot without fail!).

Mind you, getting eldest son trained pretty well now :rotfl:

molerat

These are not council bin men they are private contract. Pull the contract and see what happens then. Play with fire you get burned. There are plenty that will take the job.

A friend is a scaffie and says it is the easiest job he has done in years and the pay is good, plenty of overtime and he is getting his LGV paid for.

lostinrates

SingleSue wrote: »

Oh I remember the days when they used to come and get the bags from the side of the house where the dustbins were.

Now I have to haul the blooming things to the end of the path and halfway up the bleddy road...

we have a cattle grid at the end of our drive. When wheelies were brought in for this area my mother was here alone through the week. I arranged for an assessment and the local council came and agreed that the cattle grid was too much for a disabled pensioner to navigate, and that she didn't nbeed to use the wheelie, but could put out bags instead. I asked if the bin men could pick the bags up from the house wide of the cattle grid, but this was turned down for H and S: the cattle grid was deemed unsafe for he bin men where as my mother was exected to navigate it :rolleyes:- still- its her grid, so maybe fair. She used to load rubbish in her car, croos the grid, then unload it.

TBH, I find the wheelie a bit easie than lugging the bags, but its almost as tall as my mother, so not suprised she finds it impossible.

Rubbish takes a bizzarely large amount of time now: its not so much the wheelie (although thart is certainly a wee bit more time consiuming its only about 5 mins twice in the day, once a fortnight) but the recycling one I wish they'd take every thing thats recyclable. Here they don'ttake card, or plastic bottles and some other things: I have to use the chart every time I get somethig new to deal with or something we dont throw away often. The food waste boxes we can't use: the badgers and foxes beat them up, manage to open them and spread it everywhere, and drag the box into hedges.

purch

In current economic climate there would be plenty of people more than happy to do a binperson's job for their existing rate of pay

Sure.

Standing behind a filthy stinking Bin Lorry in 28 degrees heat, chucking bags of crap into it all day long.

Paradise.

flea72

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

In current economic climate there would be plenty of people more than happy to do a binperson's job for their existing rate of pay

the problem is, there are very few people who are prepared to be at work at 7am, five days a week, shovelling !!!!, for C£14K

Staff turnover is high, so alot of councils have to rely on agency staff. Most last one day, before they go give up - the works too hard, for the amount of pay they get

Flea

neas

I heard they got paid well as well for the hours... some i know have part time jobs in day and earn a mint!.

Like window cleaner/bin man!

MrDT

purch wrote: »

Sure.

Standing behind a filthy stinking Bin Lorry in 28 degrees heat, chucking bags of crap into it all day long.

Paradise.

Grab a wheelie bin, attach to lorry, lorry mechanism does the tipping, take wheelie back to doorstep. Don't even get your hands dirty. Out at six in the morning, back home having done a days work by lunch time. Get paid a decent wage.

Even better, become a driver, don't even have to shift the bins.

If I were out of work I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up.

flea72

neas wrote: »

I heard they got paid well as well for the hours... some i know have part time jobs in day and earn a mint!.

Like window cleaner/bin man!

perhaps they have alot of money, because they are working 2-3 jobs, not because being a binman, is well paid

The hours in my area are 7am - 3pm, for which they earn £14k - i dont know about you, but to most people £14k isnt a high wage

Flea

Old_Slaphead

purch wrote: »

Sure.

Standing behind a filthy stinking Bin Lorry in 28 degrees heat, chucking bags of crap into it all day long.

Paradise.

Lucky that we don't have too many days when temp hits 28C (esp at 7.00am) then innit?

nb our local binmen don't pick up any bags either (in fact, if your wheelies aren't at the perimeter of your property they'll simply leave it).

AND we're not allowed to put out any heavy stuff or gardening waste - we have to take that to the tip ourselves !!