Alistair Tice, Sheffield Socialist Party
After seven weeks of solid strike action, Unite members at Veolia refuse depot in Sheffield are confident of winning union recognition. Their solidarity and determination, with 30-40 on the picket line every day, combined with Unite’s leverage campaign, has forced Veolia national management to the table.
Unite organisers took their banners to the Paris headquarters of Veolia, a multinational company, and parked their giant inflatable rat outside the house of one of the company’s directors!
Unite has suspended its leverage campaign and protests to facilitate negotiations, which began last week. But the strike continues into its eighth week, with members currently reballoting for another six-month strike mandate, if required.
The GMB union currently has sole recognition. We know that many of the GMB union members working in the depot support Unite’s right to recognition, which hopefully will re-unite the workforce and put the trade unions in a stronger position to take on what is a very bullying and victimising local management.
Socialist Party members, who have supported the strikers since day one, argue that the outsourced waste management contract should be taken back in-house by Sheffield City Council, and run democratically by the workers and community.
