Ageing parks workers in Glasgow moved in to help binmen 'struggling to keep up with strain of duties'

One worker - who wished not to be named - warned that somebody could become injured on-shift due to the strain of the duties. 

The Glasgow City Council employee claimed that members of staff who are refusing to assist the cleansing department are facing a downgrade or redeployment, however, the local authority insists that this is not true. 

Parks workers who are currently helping binmen to clear bin sets have been offered overtime as cleansing teams catch-up on collections from the festive break. 

One bin set on Broomhill Drive

While parks staff can be deployed at any time to support binmen, council bosses say that it is normal for the workers to be temporarily shifted for cleansing operations during this time of the year. 

The parks worker said: “Workers’ health doesn’t matter to the council as long as the job is getting done. For years now we have been assisting cleansing. 

“Anyone who can’t carry out the full range of their duties is facing a downgrade or redeployment.

“This is becoming a really stressful time for parks workers. We know that binmen are currently under a lot of stress but what about ageing park workers who are struggling to keep up with the demand because they are being put under pressure to get the work done. 

“They are being expected to carry out the same duties as they did 10 years ago - the job only gets harder as you get older. 

“What will it take for change to happen? One of our older workers to become injured on-shift or worse?”

The GMB - a union that represents some of the employees - said that it has “well warned” the local authority over staff exhaustion. 

Sean Baillie, Scotland organiser, said: “We’ve well warned the council that staff are exhausted and angry after struggling for years against cuts to budgets and services, and let’s be clear that Covid has compounded these huge problems rather than create them.

“Local government will be squeezed again by another cuts settlement from Holyrood, and if this is left unchallenged then the future looks grim for frontline services and the staff who deliver them.”

Earlier this month, we told how binmen were “struggling to provide a service” due to a shortage of staff during the Omircon outbreak.

Absences caused collections to be disrupted across the city with council bosses previously admitting there was a delay to the service.

The local authority said that support is available for employees who are struggling with a mental health issue. 

A spokesperson said: “Staff in our environmental service form a broad workforce that can be deployed to undertake a wide range of tasks.

“This means parks staff can be asked to support refuse collection services at any time depending on operational requirements on particular days.

“It is normal for parks staff to support cleansing operations at this time of year.

“However, it is not true to say that staff are being downgraded or redeployed.

“Parks staff who support cleansing operations continue to be paid at their normal rate. They’ve also been offered overtime as we catch-up on work from the festive period.

“Also, all staff are trained for work on cleansing operations and will be allocated appropriately, such as on to street cleansing duties or kerbside collections where bins are moved short distances from the pavement to the back of the lorry.

“Support is available for any member of staff who is dealing with a mental health issue.”