Kitkat Watch

[Barrel of Fun]

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.

That's very true.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

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.

You've hit the nail on the head , more mega sized wheelie bins = less employees + no weekend collections.

 

[beorhthelm]

How so? There don't seem to be many answers about or figures.

there is a lack of info isnt there? often that suggests some party is not being entirely upfront about the situation. its been known for such claims in these disputes to be made on the basis of one or two, or *potential* loses (ie if someone worked every weekend on double pay, they'd lose x, but no one ever does or could because of the rotas). dont know if thats the case here. losing 4k a year whatever the % is alot for anyone.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

there is a lack of info isnt there? often that suggests some party is not being entirely upfront about the situation. its been known for such claims in these disputes to be made on the basis of one or two, or *potential* loses (ie if someone worked every weekend on double pay, they'd lose x, but no one ever does or could because of the rotas). dont know if thats the case here. losing 4k a year whatever the % is alot for anyone.

When I worked at BT they stripped out the supervisory grade and replaced it with an admin and training/development role. I was regraded back to the basic grade and although I had pay and pension protection payments on basic pay all my allowances were worked out at the lesser rate. If I had applied for the replacement grade I would have lost shift allowances for working nights and weekends , language allowance and overtime payments adding up to roughly £5k a year , it was a no-brainer decision at the time.

 

[wellquickwoody]

At least Kitcat isn't that stupid to allow agency and contractors to be used as scab labour during the dispute.

Did you make it out of the neolithic age unscathed, I would have thought Darwin's theory of evolution would have killed you off.

Scab labour :face palm:

 

[whitelion]

Is the name Kitcat a genuine one?

I've just never been able to verify this. Anyone know?

 

[driller]

Anyone know if we can claim back against the council for the prepaid waste collection of our council tax?
If they do not provide the service why should I pay full rate to them?

 

[cloud]

http://www.starnow.co.uk/aniakitcat

 

[4-p]

It seems that I can't find many details on the reasoning, I would have thought it would be covered by freedom of information seeing as it's our money.

Anyway, the only details I could find were in the council website:
http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/council-and-democracy/news/pay-and-allowances-modernisation

Where they say only 10% of the workers will be affected at all and most will benefit.
None of it seems 'outrageous' so I guess it depends on the difference between the two.

I'm not picking sides cos I don't have the facts, but I've been led to believe it a cut in hours that's affecting the take home wages.

I wish all the info was available: what everyone gets now for what compared to what is on the table.

I'd like to be able to form my own opinion from the facts.

What if it is a massive overreaction? And it simply means 4 people's wives have go back to work for the first time in 10 years.
That's highly unlikely of course and I've used an extreme example to make the point..
either way I think the tax payer is entitled to all the facts in this case, seeing as we're there ones paying the money and the price right now.

KitKat's already pretty unpopular but I've never heard anyone sing the praises of someone doing his job, I'm hearing more bad things lately than I have historically, although I could simply be paying more attention.

 

[mune ni kamome]

Ah so its the rate of their extras and overtime that is being cut. Similar to most private industries many years ago when weekend overtime was reduced from double to time and a half. Not really a pay cut then.

 

[The Wookiee]

View attachment 43706

I prefer this more stylish time piece

 

[The Large One]

It seems that I can't find many details on the reasoning, I would have thought it would be covered by freedom of information seeing as it's our money.

Anyway, the only details I could find were in the council website:
http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/council-and-democracy/news/pay-and-allowances-modernisation

Where they say only 10% of the workers will be affected at all and most will benefit.
None of it seems 'outrageous' so I guess it depends on the difference between the two.

I'm not picking sides cos I don't have the facts, but I've been led to believe it a cut in hours that's affecting the take home wages.

I wish all the info was available: what everyone gets now for what compared to what is on the table.

I'd like to be able to form my own opinion from the facts.

What if it is a massive overreaction? And it simply means 4 people's wives have go back to work for the first time in 10 years.
That's highly unlikely of course and I've used an extreme example to make the point..
either way I think the tax payer is entitled to all the facts in this case, seeing as we're there ones paying the money and the price right now.

KitKat's already pretty unpopular but I've never heard anyone sing the praises of someone doing his job, I'm hearing more bad things lately than I have historically, although I could simply be paying more attention.

The current administration inherited a disjointed and messy contracts situation from when Brighton Borough Council and Hove Borough Councils were merged. Nothing had been done about it for 16 years. The City Council has sought to equalise all city workers' pay. Pretty muc everyone except the binmen has been offered a better deal. Sadly, that's no good for the binmen, whose previous contracts were much better than most others', so they've lost out.

As for losing £4k - it's about half a dozen people who will lose that; the vast majority will lose around £1,000pa, though they are being offered compensation of £3,000.

While I support the binmen, and believe that no-one should have their wages redcued, I think that this strike is unnecessary as we're still only 30 days into a 90-day consultation period. Nothing is set in stone, and nothing has been agreed. All the while they're talking - and they are talking - a strike doesn't seem necessary.

I've been reading the various press releases that the GMB has been putting out, and it strikes me that as an organisation they're politically naive regarding the local political landscape; they're trying to turn this into Green v GMB dispute, without realisiing that it's mostly Green Party members (including councillors and the MP) who support them. They've also now realised that Labour has abandoned them (their words), by supporting the council, and the Tories would never support the unions anyway.

 

[keaton]

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.

I'm near Preston Park. Apparently they did collect ours two weeks ago but a day early as they hired extra people to cover the back log but that meant they came a day early to us as the bank holiday didn't count. At least that's the BS excuse their website has.
They just didn't bother this week, although they did so some parts but just left the areas by the station and school almost as if it was deliberate

 

[4-p]

The current administration inherited a disjointed and messy contracts situation from when Brighton Borough Council and Hove Borough Councils were merged. Nothing had been done about it for 16 years. The City Council has sought to equalise all city workers' pay. Pretty muc everyone except the binmen has been offered a better deal. Sadly, that's no good for the binmen, whose previous contracts were much better than most others', so they've lost out.

As for losing £4k - it's about half a dozen people who will lose that; the vast majority will lose around £1,000pa, though they are being offered compensation of £3,000.

While I support the binmen, and believe that no-one should have their wages redcued, I think that this strike is unnecessary as we're still only 30 days into a 90-day consultation period. Nothing is set in stone, and nothing has been agreed. All the while they're talking - and they are talking - a strike doesn't seem necessary.

I've been reading the various press releases that the GMB has been putting out, and it strikes me that as an organisation they're politically naive regarding the local political landscape; they're trying to turn this into Green v GMB dispute, without realisiing that it's mostly Green Party members (including councillors and the MP) who support them. They've also now realised that Labour has abandoned them (their words), by supporting the council, and the Tories would never support the unions anyway.

Thanks for the insight!

Could it get to a point where the council v gmb will need to be settled by the stake holders, us?
Where we should get all of the info and pick a side before the town turns into a pit of rubbish and wildlife spreading it round.

I can't help but think that if the council would have done this in the winter, when less animals are awake and the heat can't make the rubbish worse, the consequences would have been less on us.

 

[pwlr1966]

Anyone know if we can claim back against the council for the prepaid waste collection of our council tax?
If they do not provide the service why should I pay full rate to them?

I have sent City Clean a bill for five weeks uncollected waste, it included 5 x trips to the tip plus petrol total £32.31, waiting for a reply!!!

On another note, this pay cut affects other council workers too, for instance caretakers at schools who have to look after the school building on a weekend or evenings when it is let out to private hire. He is contracted to do this and has little choice, the schools need the extra income and so does he but they will have to endure the same cuts. Tip of the iceberg!!!

 

[Dandyman]

A cut of £1000 for modestly paid workers seems like a lot of money to me. It also seems to me that to provoke strike action takes a lot of political ineptitude in the current climate.

 

[dougdeep]

Nice bounce.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Kitkat amd his foxy wife live next door to my mum and dad

 

[yxee]

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

Me neither. I'd probably look for another job rather than hold my employer to ransom though.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Kitkat amd his foxy wife live next door to my mum and dad

Are you able to confirm that this is Carden Hill ? Just need to know where to dump my rubbish