Trade union demands recognition from Plaid-led council

Carmarthenshire Unison, GMB and Unite has appealed for solidarity to force Plaid Cymru-led Carmarthenshire county council to instruct Cwm Environmental, the waste disposal company wholly owned by the council, to agree to a trade union recognition agreement (TURA).

The Carmarthenshire council unions are appealing for support for their online petition.

This is their appeal letter:

“Unison, GMB and Unite, the three trade unions recognised by Carmarthenshire Plaid led County Council have jointly been calling for several years for a trade union recognition agreement (TURA) with Cwm Environmental, which is a waste disposal company wholly owned by the council. Our reasonable attempts to get a TURA  have faced obfuscation, obstruction and delaying tactics. Also, the company has engaged in attempts to cause division between the unions.

“We draw the logical conclusion that the above tactics have not only been condoned by the council but agreed by them as they clearly control how Cwm Environmental behaves. We do not consider the above is acceptable or that the company are proposing instead of a TURA an arrangement that precludes negotiating pay, terms and conditions for 18 months!

“There has been a trend recently for councils (having had their fingers burned) to bring outsourced services back in-house but Plaid led Carmarthenshire County Council will not even agree a TURA for a company it 100% owns. The actions of the council are clearly hypocritical as they negotiate with us as a council but will not agree this for Cwm Environmental.

“We have decided we have had enough of the company aka council’s delaying tactics, and we will now be taking our public campaign to the hand that rocks the cradle the county councillors themselves. We ask that you call on Plaid Led Carmarthenshire County Council to immediately agree a TURA with us so we can negotiate on behalf of our Cwm Environmental members. It is unacceptable that a company wholly owned by the council has significantly worse pay, terms and conditions than for equivalent council workers.

“Please sign our online petition and ask your members to do likewise and send an email/letter of protest and solidarity to the Plaid council leader Emlyn Dole, CEO Wendy Walters, Executive board member for Environment Cllr Hazel Evans, Director of Environment Ruth Mullen and Director of Cwm Environmental Owen Bowen. Please notify us if you have done this.

“Yours in solidarity, Mark Evans, branch secretary Carmarthenshire County Unison”