Gwynedd Council accused of ‘disgraceful behaviour’ after refusing pay bonus for bin collectors’ efforts during coronavirus pandemic

Calls have been made for refuse workers in Gwynedd to be paid a bonus for their efforts during the Coronavirus lockdown.

In a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, staff working for Gwynedd Council’s municipal teams requested the extra cash  to “boost morale” and to reflect their role as key workers in maintaining front line services throughout the pandemic.

But, while the Welsh Government has already promised a £500 one-off payment to all care home and domiciliary care staff, such a bonus for Gwynedd’s refuse workers would be expected to derive from council budgets rather than central government.

Sent to the authority’s leader and chief executive, the letter notes: “In our view its totally unfair to expect us to work through this period on standard pay while the majority of (council) staff have been sent home on full pay or are working from home.

“The council should recognise us as front line workers who have placed ourselves at risk to maintain services for the people of Gwynedd while pushing such concerns to the back of our minds.”

It went on to say that may were worried about carrying the virus to their families, which had impacted on their mental health.

But council leader Dyfrig Siencyn noted that, while all 75 elected members appreciated the efforts of all council staff, the authority had to adhere to the Job Evaluation Scheme as the basis for assessing workers’ pay.

Adding that it was “imperative” not to contravene the deal previously agreed with trade unions, he encouraged workers to contact the Welsh Government for a similar £500 bonus payment as that which has been announced for care workers.

Chief executive Dilwyn Williams added that, while he was aware of two other authorities which had paid a 10% pay supplement to key workers, he believed that this would “jeopardise their defence against any allegations of unequal pay” and would not want Gwynedd to follow their lead.

But further pressure has come from opposition benches on the council.

Labour’s Sion Jones described the refusal of a bonus as “disgraceful behaviour” and was adamant that front line staff should be paid a bonus for working.

Cllr Peter Read, a member of Neil Mc Evoy’s WNP party, added: “I’m sure that other staff would not begrudge this payment. It’s not really about the money, but the recognition.”

Cllr Dylan Bullard, who also joined the party last month, went on to say: “The front line staff and key workers deserve recognition for their valuable work.

“A little extra thank you from the council on behalf of the people of Gwynedd would go a long way.”

In response, chief executive Dilwyn Williams said that the council was “extremely grateful” to all staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, including waste and recycling teams.

He said “robust health and safety arrangements” were in place and that suitable help and support had been made available to support staff’s health and well-being, referring to the “detailed attention” given to adapting the working arrangements of waste and recycling teams during the crisis.

Pointing to the last pay review in 2008,  which resulted in a collective agreement between the unions and the authority, Mr Williams said: “The Job Evaluation Scheme, and the acknowledgement that it is this scheme that should be used as a basis for the salary level and temporary additional payments paid to staff, is the cornerstone of that agreement.

“At the start of the pandemic, the Human Resources Service reviewed the evaluations of many of our front-line jobs to consider whether the expectations of the individuals in those posts had increased on a temporary basis as a result of dealing with Covid-19.

“Though a minor adaptation was identified in the evaluation for jobs within the waste and recycling service, it did not lead to justifying that the responsibility and expectation of the jobs had increased sufficiently to offer a pay supplement on the basis of a temporary higher salary scale.”

Mr Williams stressed that the one-off £500 care worker payment was a Welsh Government decision, with no additional funding made available to authorities  to recognise the work of staff in other services.

He said: “All unions in Wales meet regularly with the Government, and should the union feel that waste and recycling staff should be treated in a similar way to how the care workers were treated, they should pursue the matter with the Government.”

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter