Birmingham Council has refuted allegations of bullying after its bin drivers’ performances were publicly ranked in a league table posted on the staff room wall.
The trade union Unite said tachograph data was being used to record driving time, speed, distance, as well as other measures in order to monitor the HGV drivers.
It said a league table was then posted at the Smithfield depot, ranking named drivers in order of their infringements – which it said was a serious breach of GDPR legislation.
Unite said the drivers, employed by agency Job&Talent, were being subjected to this “bullying tactic” and that it was a reminder they had no job security and could be let go at any moment.
It added that the council had admitted it was a GDPR breach and that the Job&Talent workers on the refuse contract would commence striking over bullying, harassment and what it alleged were threats of blacklisting from 1 December.
In a letter to the council, Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said: “This is information that should be confidential, not available for public viewing and certainly not used for the purpose of publicly shaming employees.
“I am certain that there is no provision within any council policy that allows for this to take place. Further, the council are in serious breach of GDPR regulations.”
A Birmingham Council spokesperson said: “We strongly refute allegations of bullying.
“The purpose of the communication was about ongoing service improvements but we acknowledge that names should not have been published and the notice has been removed.
“Following an internal review, it is confirmed this does not meet the criteria for notification to the Information Commissioner’s office.
“However, an overview of key performance indicators will continue to be shared to help drive improvement, which is standard practice.”
The council spokesperson added: “Our crews’ and contractors’ workloads are in line with industry standards, with crew performance monitored to ensure collection standards are met.
“Crews are supported throughout their employment and the management team work in partnership with the agency and the collection crews to jointly review targets.”
Job&Talent confirmed to Motor Transport that the league table was neither created nor issued by its organisation.
On the allegation of bullying and blacklisting, a Job&Talent spokesperson said: “We prioritise the rights, welfare, and safety of our workers and maintain regular communication to ensure they feel supported.
“Job&Talent takes any allegation concerning worker welfare and safety extremely seriously. We have no record or evidence of any incidents matching the descriptions provided.”
The spokesperson added: “We do not engage in or condone any form of blacklisting, and no worker is or would be denied employment opportunities on the basis of lawful participation in industrial action.
“Following an immediate investigation by Birmingham City Council, it has been confirmed that no blacklisting took place.”
