Refuse, cleansing and grounds maintenance staff at Three Rivers District Council have won a massive increase to sick pay and annual leave.
For years the council’s depot staff had been on second-class terms and conditions compared with office-based workers.
Waste services staff were only getting statutory sick pay in their first year of service, rising to a maximum two weeks’ full pay and two weeks’ half pay after two years service. Grounds workers could get up to 10 weeks on full pay and 10 on half, but only after 10 years.
Meanwhile an unwell office worker who started before 2015 gets up to six months’ full pay and a more recent office joiner gets four months.
Depot staff will now receive the same as an office worker with the same length of service.
Annual leave parity will mean up to eight days extra annual leave for depot workers.
UNISON Eastern regional organiser Nalin Cooke said: “Three Rivers depot staff were sick of being treated as second-class workers.
“By standing together in UNISON and fighting for fairness, they’ve won the same treatment as their colleagues in the council offices.
“This is an important victory that shows the power of our union.”