Bonuses binned for refuse collectors

Binmen in one Black Country borough will not receive bonuses or "goodwill" payments this Christmas as the local authority looks to save cash.

Letters have been sent out to staff in Sandwell who last year picked up to £1,100 in bonuses, telling them although they will be paid for overtime, there will be no additional payments. Council bosses will thrash out plans for festive collections and wages with unions tomorrow. Last year the average worker was able to pick up to £780 in overtime payments.

This is as well as "goodwill" payments of up to £80 per week. This meant that over the four week Christmas period workers could pick up up to £1,100.

Councillor Mahboob Hussain, who is the neighbourhoods chief, said that the most anyone could hope for this year was around £462, with overtime payments calculated using current hourly rates.

The councillor added that the economic slowdown means that the council could not offer any bonuses.

"We are not proposing a bonus payment this year to binmen," he said.

"Like many other local authorities, we are offering overtime," he said.

"Overall, staff could be working up to a maximum of 40 to 45 hours in overtime over the weeks around Christmas and New Year."

He added: "These proposals would result in a refuse loader earning up to a total of £462.62 in overtime depending on exactly how much extra they do.

"We are meeting with unions tomorrow when we hope staff will accept our offer," said the councillor.

Back in 2005 it looked as though bins would not be collected at all in Sandwell over the Christmas period, when the binmen rejected a council offer of £900 to work any extra days.

The binmen had demanded £1,300 extra but the council stood firm and threatened to scrap the original offer completely, with unions backing down at the eleventh hour.

Other councils in the region such as Cannock Chase Council have never given binmen Christmas or "goodwill" payments and Stafford collections are contracted out to Biffa.

Binmen working in the Wyre Forest district do not get bonuses but they will receive overtime for working bank holidays to provide a full service.