Members at Veolia RERF in Leeds accept pay deal

Prospect members at the Veolia Recycling Energy Recovery Facility in Leeds have voted to accept a pay offer that was brokered with mediation from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

The offer has hopefully addressed in part the differential in annual leave allowance, giving the operative grades an additional day of leave after two years (rather than the three years initially proposed by the employer) and has given a clear pathway to parity.

It is a 2-year deal for 2018/19 .The offer for the first year is 2% for operative grades (taking into account the annual leave factor) and 2.25% for technical grades. For the second year, all staff covered by the collective bargaining agreement will be 2.25%

The disquiet from members over annual leave disparity became clear during initial member consultation around the 2018 pay offer, and the issue became key during negotiations.

The plant itself, operational since late 2016,  is designed to remove recyclable waste from household bin collections and recover energy from what is left over. This significantly reduces the amount of waste that is sent to landfill.

Prospect has only had recognition at the site for 18 months, so this was an opportunity for the union to demonstrate the value of  membership to those that have already joined and those who are yet to come on board.