As local newspaper the Eastern Daily Express has discovered, job ads show agencies offering lorry drivers £12.45 per hour to conduct waste collections in the town of Watton, which is located within Breckland Council. This is noticeably higher than the £10 (or thereabouts) per hour that bin lorry drivers in Breckland Council are believed to get paid by contractor Serco.
The Eastern Daily Press notes that Serco has explained the disparity by stating that temporary staff do not receive the same benefits or job security as those permanent employed by the company. The situation is nonetheless said to be causing “resentment among staff” and it is claimed that some drivers have even quit their jobs.
This, in turn, has caused delays to collections, much like in a number of other councils across the UK.
Serco is now working on a new offer for its staff as companies seek to woo drivers with better rates and sign-on bonuses.
In response to the alleged pay disparity, Emma Windle, Serco’s senior contract manager, told the Eastern Daily Express:
“We recognise the national HGV driver shortage does, in the short-term, place our existing workforce under significant pressure. To create more capacity and take the pressure off our existing staff, we’re offering our teams a cash bonus for any new driver they recommend who joins us on either a permanent or temporary basis. We are also working with agencies to recruit temporary staff, who will not receive the same benefits package or have the job security as our permanent employees. This is reflected in their hourly rate. I would personally like to thank the whole team for their support during this challenging time.”
The situation in Breckland does not appear to be isolated one. On social media, there have been numerous reports of agency drivers being paid more for the same job. Moreover, yesterday the GMB Union said that drivers at Yodel would be voting for strike action for several reasons, one of which was agency staff being paid more for the same work.
One of the reasons for the disparity is of course the driver shortage and the fact that many firms urgently need drivers. This, it is claimed, means that agencies can command high fees, and even after taking a cut for themselves, can still pay drivers more than some of their counterparts doing the same job for the same company.
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