The usual process of public service negotiation sees unions and councils embroiled in the numbers game, thrashing out figures around the table.
In Brighton and Hove, we’re seeing the “hands-off” approach. The council is effectively saying to the GMB union: “Our door is always open”.
Meanwhile, the GMB union says it’s down to the council to make the approach with an improved offer for its bin workers.
Residents could be in for a long autumn. So who will blink first? The onus is on the council to settle with the union.
But that doesn’t mean meeting all its demands, necessarily – it means giving the union a solution it can’t quibble with.
Cityclean workers feel aggrieved if they sense their responsibilities as HGV drivers are not being rewarded.
If the council cannot (or will not) move on its wage budget, and wants truly equal pay among its Cityclean staff, it needs to acknowledge the skills involved.
Equal pay, whatever that figure is, requires equal responsibility.
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