Workers employed by waste contractor Veolia Environmental services in Chesterfield voted by 100 per cent to reject a real terms pay cut offer of 4.48 per cent.
Chesterfield could be facing a bin strike after refuse collectors at Veolia Environmental services voted unanimously to reject a real terms pay cut.
GMB Union will now launch a formal industrial action ballot, the dates of which will be announced in the coming days.
Workers are furious after being offered what amounts to a 3 per cent pay offer – with inflation rampant at more than 11 per cent.
Tens of thousands of homes across Chesterfield could be affected if workers down tools.
Deanne Ferguson, GMB Organiser, said:
“GMB members working at Veolia Environmental services have been forced into taking second jobs just so they can afford to feed their families.
“This is a shocking situation for any worker to find themselves in and is made worse by Veolia Environmental services offering a derisory below inflation pay increase that won’t even touch the sides.
“We have heard, unofficially, that Veolia Environmental services has said it will increase the offer to 6 per cent if workers resign from the union – if true, this is an abhorrent tactic.
“We call on the company to get back round the table and come up with a meaningful offer that reflects the hard job our members do every day, and they so richly deserve.
