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Kitkat Watch



Dandyman

In London village.
GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny is to lead a march and demonstration of GMB members employed by Brighton & Hove City Council who will be striking over proposed cuts to their take home pay. Saturday 15 June 2013, 11:30 AM Assemble at Cityclean Depot, Upper Hollingdean Road, Brighton, BN1 7GA

Meanwhile, GMB has welcomed a commitment from the leader of Brighton Council, Jason Kitcat, that no agency or contractors will be used during any period of industrial action. The committment was made in an e-mail from Kitcat who after a period of evading the issue finally confirmed:

“This administration will not sanction the use of agency or contract workers to do the regular work of legitimately striking Council staff whilst those staff are out on strike. Accordingly, I am able to announce that all agency workers currently engaged in refuse collection and street cleaning will be withdrawn from service by 10pm on Thursday night, the day before the strike is due to begin, and agency workers will not be deployed in these areas during the strike week.”

As a result of this commitment GMB has confirmed that it will engage in negotiations with the Council to see if a way forward can be found. According to Mark Turner, GMB Branch Secretary:

“This is a small first step for the Council on the way to resolving this dispute. As a result GMB has confirmed that it is willing to attend talks to listen to what the Council have to say.

I will however say that there will need to be substantial movement in their position for industrial action to be averted. Whilst our members do not take strike action lightly, they cannot be expected to accept these reductions to their take home pay. I would like to thank those Councillors in the administration who have supported our members and brought about this decision.”

Taxi for Mr Kitkat ?
 




Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,024
The arse end of Hangleton
We can only hope that the bearded, smug **** clears off out of this city !
 


otk

~(.)(.)~
May 15, 2007
1,895
Leg out of the bed
What's the Bobby on this dispute? I've seen the stickers saying they're going to lose four grand a year ???
 


mistahclarke

Well-known member
Jul 28, 2009
2,997
genuinely thought this was about a watch designed like a kitkat chocolate bar
 


Barrel of Fun

Abort, retry, fail
Parts of Westdene haven't had their recycling taken since before the unofficial strike and it looks like Preston Park are the same.

What is the actual pay decrease? I've been informed, by a council member, that it is the removal of double time on a Sunday to time and a half.
 




Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,024
The arse end of Hangleton
What's the Bobby on this dispute? I've seen the stickers saying they're going to lose four grand a year ???

Some binmen are going to lose up to 25% of their "pay" - in some cases this equals £4k - hardly surprising they're going on strike and I for one support them.
 


seagullsovergrimsby

#cpfctinpotclub
Aug 21, 2005
43,690
Crap Town
At least Kitcat isn't that stupid to allow agency and contractors to be used as scab labour during the dispute.
 


Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,024
The arse end of Hangleton
Parts of Westdene haven't had their recycling taken since before the unofficial strike and it looks like Preston Park are the same.

What is the actual pay decrease? I've been informed, by a council member, that it is the removal of double time on a Sunday to time and a half.

It's the "allowances" that are being cut - i.e. the money the binmen get for working weekends - especially after a bank holiday.
 






edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
47,221
genuinely thought this was about a watch designed like a kitkat chocolate bar

66232na_20.jpeg
 


Barrel of Fun

Abort, retry, fail
It's the "allowances" that are being cut - i.e. the money the binmen get for working weekends - especially after a bank holiday.

Oh right. I worked most weekends for the council, during the summer break, and didn't get any overtime.

That involved, amongst other things, trying to make Preston Park look spotless after many events throughout the sunny months.

Unskilled job that worked out at about £1k a month. That was the low end of the payment scale, without overtime.
 




GoldWithFalmer

Seaweed! Seaweed!
Apr 24, 2011
12,687
SouthCoast
Some binmen are going to lose up to 25% of their "pay" - in some cases this equals £4k - hardly surprising they're going on strike and I for one support them.

Don't think i could cope with a 25% pay reduction,it's a lot...
 


GoldWithFalmer

Seaweed! Seaweed!
Apr 24, 2011
12,687
SouthCoast


seagullsovergrimsby

#cpfctinpotclub
Aug 21, 2005
43,690
Crap Town
Some binmen are going to lose up to 25% of their "pay" - in some cases this equals £4k - hardly surprising they're going on strike and I for one support them.
The council have managed to regrade the rest of the council workers and pay the minimum they can get away with , only the binmen are left who stand to lose the most from restructuring.
 




edna krabappel

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
47,221
I always wonder if Jason Kitcat rues the day the Chunky version of the bar was ever brought out.
 




Dandyman

In London village.
I don't know all the details although I think it is telling that those Greens that I do respect such as Caroline Lucas seem very anti-Kitkat.

GMB take on things is here: http://www.gmb-southern.org.uk/gmb-...rch-in-support-of-brighton-cityclean-workers/

Having been involved in various restructures and pay and conditions issues from an HR perspective, this does seem to be massively clumsy. One take on it is of course that the Greens have a LibDem wing, which is where Kitkat sits, and a Socialist/Social Democratic wing which is where Lucas and others sit.
 


seagullsovergrimsby

#cpfctinpotclub
Aug 21, 2005
43,690
Crap Town
It's the "allowances" that are being cut - i.e. the money the binmen get for working weekends - especially after a bank holiday.

Many councils around the country now have regular collections on bank holidays and pay double time instead of no collection on a bank holiday and overtime to make up the rounds in the following week. Bin collections and recycling is a Monday to Friday job doing it that way.
 




Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
NSC Patron
Oct 27, 2003
21,024
The arse end of Hangleton
Oh right. I worked most weekends for the council, during the summer break, and didn't get any overtime.

That involved, amongst other things, trying to make Preston Park look spotless after many events throughout the sunny months.

Unskilled job that worked out at about £1k a month. That was the low end of the payment scale, without overtime.

I guessing, and I apologise if I'm wrong, that you knew this before you started and therefore your contract reflected this ? In this case the binmen's contract is being changed without their agreement.
 


Barrel of Fun

Abort, retry, fail
Many councils around the country now have regular collections on bank holidays and pay double time instead of no collection on a bank holiday and overtime to make up the rounds in the following week. Bin collections and recycling is a Monday to Friday job doing it that way.

Brighton would drown without waste collection at the weekends.

They provide a valuable service. However, they should be mindful that they are not irreplaceable. More big wheelie bins = less employees.

Both of the Kitcats appear to be very smug. You only have to read the bio of Mrs Kitcat on starnow to realise that she is a bit of a nob.
 


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