(29 November 2011) The Italian unions in the waste sector including CGIL FP will be on strike today 29 November 2011. The unions have organized the strike in the private waste sector.
The workers and their unions demand better wages and improved health and safety. The number of deadly accidents has risen. The unions also underline that with the further privatisation of services and the cuts in public budgets quality of services deteriorates and infiltration of criminal organisations goes (...)
28 November 2011
(3 November 2011) According to research of the European Environmental Agency transportation and shipment of waste out of Europe is increasing despite efforts to reduce, re-use and recycle waste in the EU. Europe’s rising waste export is not confined to illegal hazardous materials, which made headlines when it emerged that poor workers in India have been dismantling rubbish from batteries to used warships containing Asbestos. Exports also relate to the legal shipments of non-hazardous wastes (...)
UPDATE
Conflict solved
(6 May 2011) The union informs us that UNITE and SITA Kirklees reached an agreement on how to deal with grievances ensuring the trade union is involved and that when needed the mediation services of the UK Advisory Concilliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) can be used. The union expects that the deal will improve relations in the company.
(19 April 2011) Municipal Waste management should be under the responsibility by the local authorities, taking into consideration local needs and circumstances. Local authorities are free to choose how they organize the service. These were the conclusions of a meeting on 13 April 2011, held by Municipal Waste Europe (MWE) in which EPSU participated.
Municipal waste management is needed for all citizens and is based on environmental concerns to prevent and utilize waste in the best possible (...)
(Brussels, 21 January 2011) The European waste sector is set to grow and will see an increase in employment was one of the issues discussed at the EPSU waste group. The focus on reduction, re-using and recycling is broadly supported by the unions. There is a general expectation that the collection and sorting of the different waste streams will require higher skilled workers . But at the same time pressures on public budgets and local governments can lead to search the cheapest options, (...)
(21 December 2010) The German waste employers (BDE) is offering no and very meager waste increases for the workers in the waste sector.
The unions are organizing protest actions and strikes.
They might be continued in the new year. Companies which are involved include SITA (GdfSuez), Veolia and Remondis.
Read more in this newsletter (in DE):
(15 November 2010) The financial and economic crisis had a profound impact on the waste sector with declining volumes and pressed for money municipalities seeking lower prices leading to more competition, pressure on pay and conditions as well as job losses in several companies.
The longer term outlook is positive with the sector expected to grow and more jobs being created.
Also a more recent report of Friends of the Earth, the environmental organisation predicts a growth of ½ million (...)
(13 October 2010) EPSU and Municipal Waste Europe agreed a joint approach towards the Commission arguing that there is no need for a new Directive on concessions.
The European Commission intends to publish an initiative, but the organizations argue that the case is not made for such a directive, that the process of consultation is still ongoing and that no impact assessment is made.
Also the European Parliament has been cautious on such an approach.
Joint (...)
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