Auckland bin collectors dumped, offered chance to buy their own rubbish trucks

Almost two dozen rubbish truck drivers in East and South Auckland have been dumped, with some offered the option to buy their own trucks and become contractors instead.

A restructure at Waste Management – the private company contracted by Auckland Council for kerbside rubbish collection in East and South Auckland – would make 23 drivers redundant in favour of independent contractors.

Workers First Union called the restructure a “predatory scam” and warned that the cost of buying the trucks could put workers in “hundreds of thousands of dollars” of debt.

“Drivers will be individually responsible for maintaining, repairing and upgrading their rubbish truck under the false pretence that they can use it for other business,” union organiser Justin Wallace said.

“In reality, drivers will be working solely for Waste Management and their truck will wear that same brand and logo while they drive the same shifts they always have.”

By becoming contractors, Wallace said drivers would lose their right to sick leave, guaranteed hours and collective bargaining.

A spokesperson for Waste Management (WM) said while redundant team members were given the opportunity to become contractors, this was not required or even expected.

“Experienced WM drivers routinely have the option to become independent contractors and many choose to do so,” the spokesperson said.

“Independent contractors make their own decisions about vehicles and financing. Any finance is arranged independently with their chosen bank or finance provider.”

In a statement released by Workers First Union, Manurewa local board member Joseph Allan said he was worried services would suffer.

“It’s one thing to have courier vans parked all over our residential streets, but nobody wants a stinky rubbish truck parked outside their house,” he said.

“What happens if the driver is sick? A big company might have spare trucks, a workshop, excess drivers. You lose the economy of scale. Redundancies at a large company like this could lead to worse services for council ratepayers.”

Waste Management denied that its services would suffer.

“WM remains responsible for making sure the collection services we are contracted to provide are delivered, including having the trucks and resources required to provide those services each day,” the spokesperson said.

“Independent contractors already provide collection services in other parts of Auckland, and the model has proven reliable.”

Waste Management signed a 10-year contract with Auckland Council in 2020.

The council’s general manager of waste solutions, Justine Haves, said it expected services to continue as they had been.

“Auckland Council expects Waste Management to continue to meet its contractual obligations and provide reliable kerbside collection services,” she said.

“Waste Management remains responsible for ensuring the necessary trucks and resources are available to maintain service continuity.”

The Waste Management spokesperson said Auckland Council was consulted on the restructure before it went ahead.

“Auckland Council was aware of and approved the change to the independent contractor model,” they said.

“Independent contractors already provide collection services under the Auckland contract, including in other collection areas.”

This story was first published on rnz.co.nz