Council blasted over ‘shambolic’ consultation

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

A trade union has branded a consultation with council refuse workers over proposals to centralise operations and introduce a four-day working week “shambolic”.

The union, Unison, said it would demand a four-day week for all its Carmarthenshire Council members and take action if this didn’t happen.

It was responding to a decision by the council’s cabinet last month to operate a centralised waste depot from June 2026 at Nantycaws, near Carmarthen, rather than a network of four depots.

Other measures include more kerbside recycling options for residents, a four-weekly rather than three-weekly collections of black bag waste, and more electric refuse lorries.

‘More work’

Unison said around 80% of its refuse worker members would face longer journey times to get to Nantycaws than they did currently and that their shifts would mean “more work crammed into four days”.

It claimed that the preferred centralised depot option – one of three options cabinet examined – was a fait accompli because the cabinet report said the initial Welsh Government offer of funding was based on such a system.

“A letter sent by Unison’s Carmarthenshire branch committee to councillors said “we think management made this decision many moons ago but engaged in a shambolic consultation in an attempt to foster the illusion to our members that they were being consulted”. It added: “We are of the opinion that no serious analysis has been made about extending or moving the current depots.”

The letter also raised concerns about the entrance to Nantycaws on the busy A48 dual carriageway and claimed the current electric refuse vehicles in use were not fit for purpose.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands there are concerns about the vehicles’ range before they need re-charging.

Unison said it supported efforts to increase recycling rates and called on the Welsh Government to provide councils with the necessary funding to achieve this.

The report before cabinet said meetings had taken place with trade unions and that unions and frontline staff would be part of the new system’s governance structure. The report said 70% of refuse staff didn’t want to relocate to a centralised depot, but that 60% supported a four-day working week.

Travel expenses

The measures approved by cabinet will mean refuse staff who had to travel further than now receiving travel expenses for an initial 12 months, but Unison claimed the council policy prior to last year was that council staff who had to relocate to a base further away received four rather than one year of additional travel costs.

The whole package of measures, including a new modular depot building at Nantycaws, is expected to £25.4 million with the Welsh Government funding nearly two-thirds of the cost.

In response to Unison’s letter, Cllr Edward Thomas, cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure services, said: “Significant work has been undertaken in developing our strategy and in reaching the decision in line with the Welsh Government (waste) strategy, we have presented the most feasible and sustainable option to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the service and benefit to the environment. It is clear that members of the public want to see improvements in service delivery and are committed to recycling.”

Cllr Thomas added: “We emphasise our commitment to mitigating the impacts on our workforce from this change and remain dedicated to ongoing collaboration with trade unions and directly with staff to address concerns and find mutually beneficial solutions that will improve our service delivery and increase recycling performance.”