Sheffield bin strikes set to continue as union claims Veolia 'refusing' to negotiate
Unite members based at the Lumley Street depot are calling for union recognition.
Last updated 26th Jun 2025
Strikes involving bin workers in Sheffield look set to continue, with the Unite union claiming private firm Veolia is 'refusing' to negotiate in their dispute.
Walkouts have been ongoing last year in a row over whether staff at Veolia's Lumley Street depot get official recognition as members of Unite.
Veolia has previously claimed it has a 'long standing agreement' with another union - the GMB.
Unite say the company's refusal to give it official recognition amounts to union busting.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Veolia's continued intransigence and refusal to give our members their democratic right to be represented by the union of their choice is absolutely appalling - but its attempts at union busting will fail.
"Unite has our members backs and will continue to highlight this continued injustice by any means necessary."
A spokesperson for Veolia said: "Veolia will always respect the right of every one of its employees to be a member of a trade union of their choice, and we respect the tens of recognition agreements we have with our five trade union partners across the UK."
"In Sheffield, the GMB Union represents the majority of the workforce and has held recognition at the site for over 20 years.
"In April, the Central Arbitration Committee rejected Unite’s application for recognition at Sheffield because there is already a collective bargaining agreement in place with the GMB.
“Despite this legal ruling, Unite has continued a campaign of harassment and defamation towards Veolia, its employees and its partners. We will not allow Unite to continue to mischaracterise this inter-union dispute or our reputation.”