How do they catch up? Every BH our collection day gets moved, but by the next week they’re back on schedule. So do they get the BH off then have to work 25% harder all week to catch back up?

Generally they work longer hours and put more crews on. In some instances they’ll work weekends.
Cue lots of posts about lazy workshy council layabouts having to work hard for once etc. Bear in mind they usually start at or before 6am.
(A majority of councils contract out their waste collection to third parties…)

I think that they have lots of spare time in their schedule.

Our bin team only come on Fridays, so that means that they have six spare days per week.

At our place in N Wales I noticed they were working on New Year’s Day.
👍

We don’t have scheduled collections on a Monday, so most Bank Holidays don’t have an effect. They work Mondays to catch-up after Christmas/New Year/Easter.

Our bin men work Mon-Fri every week normally, so there is no spare day to catch up…

Bear in mind they usually start at or before 6am.

And finished by 2pm

Is it really that difficult to just type out ‘bank holiday’ rather than making up another stupid acronym just to keep folk guessing?

Bah.

Our binmen work Saturdays to cover Christmas and New Year.

Bah

What does that stand for?

Our bin men work Mon-Fri every week normally, so there is no spare day to catch up…

Then they’ll work extra hours, put another crew on or work a Saturday.

And finished by 2pm

So contracted for an 8 hour day, like a lot of people.

It’ll depend on the working patterns the individual councils are on but generally it will be picked up with days being pushed back so collections run into the following weekend.

Whole following week gets pushed back a day around these parts.

And finished by 2pm

Usually finished by 1.30 and spend last half hour congregated by the fence 😉

Why bother having a bank holiday off if you have to work the weekend to catch up? Not really a holiday is it.

Ours just gets caught up by magic – presumably why they get paid the big bucks! A colleague with 15 years service as an EO in the civil service, with a degree and professional qualifications, has just discovered that he could earn about £1k a year more as a bin man based at the depot that is 5 minutes bike ride from his house, rather than spend 45 minutes in the car coming into the office.

He has applied, just to annoy our boss 🙂

Why bother having a bank holiday off if you have to work the weekend to catch up? Not really a holiday is it.

They pay overtime for the extra days staff can say no.

Sums up councils I suppose Drac. Rather than contracting staff to work bank holidays have them work for over time rates instead. Complain of not having enough funds.

Why bother having a bank holiday off if you have to work the weekend to catch up? Not really a holiday is it.

Often they don’t but Christmas and New year are a bit different. Residents get right pissy if you don’t collect their bins though so you have to do it, they also don’t like BH collection days.

Sums up councils I suppose Drac. Rather than contracting staff to work bank holidays have them work for over time rates instead. Complain of not having enough funds.

Not really no, they’d have to pay them extra to work bank holidays. Why should they be forced to change their working conditions?

As above its really only Xmas week and who wants them to work then?

Ours worked Sundays to catch up

Sums up councils I suppose Drac. Rather than contracting staff to work bank holidays have them work for over time rates instead. Complain of not having enough funds.

I’m going to make my point again…
A lot of councils don’t do waste collection themselves. It’s sub contracted out. They pay £x per property/street/postcode per year/contract period. How the sub contractor chooses to pay their employees in terms of bank holiday pay etc is nothing to do with council ‘wastage’ in this scenario.

But hey, let’s not let facts get in the way of the usual public sector bashing.

But where’s you wheely bin?

I think submarined might be a bin man. Rather angry about a flippant light hearted remark.

Not really no, they’d have to pay them extra to work bank holidays

I used to work bank holidays and just got paid the same as I usually would.

I used to work bank holidays and just got paid the same as I usually would.

Unlucky.

Our business park staff have to work BHs and get no extra pay etc for it, seems a very duff deal.

Unlucky

I loved it! Meant I got extra days off when I actually wanted to take them.

How do they catch up?

They press the big red button.

I’m going to make my point again…
A lot of councils don’t do waste collection themselves. It’s sub contracted out. They pay £x per property/street/postcode per year/contract period. How the sub contractor chooses to pay their employees in terms of bank holiday pay etc is nothing to do with council ‘wastage’ in this scenario.

A lot subcontract out, a lot don’t but those that do don’t do it like you’ve set out. And even if they did they’re still ultimately paying the bill so it’s relevant.

A lot subcontract out, a lot don’t but those that do don’t do it like you’ve set out. And even if they did they’re still ultimately paying the bill so it’s relevant.

I deal with Local Gov waste contractor related stuff quite regularly – all the ones I’ve dealt with have had their contracts set out like that TBH. Maybe it’s just my limited sphere of experience. 🙂
Yes, they are paying the bill, but it’s up to the contractor how they send the people out, so it’s kind of moot.

I did 2 days on the bins many years ago as a temp to help catch up after the Easter BHs.
Well, I supposed to do 2 – I actually couldn’t walk the 2nd day as the 1st was so physically demanding.

Absolutely shit job, ridiculously physical and they really don’t get paid well.

my lad drives – round here the council currently subcontracts to Serco.
the drivers/loaders don’t work on bank holidays (unpaid) and then work the following Saturday to catch-up (basic hourly rate)
Christmas period having 3 bank holidays, means working three consecutive Saturdays

my lad drives – round here the council currently subcontracts to Serco.
the drivers/loaders don’t work on bank holidays (unpaid) and then work the following Saturday to catch-up (basic hourly rate)

That’s the worst of both worlds 😕