Residents in Manchester are now facing bin strikes after workers voted for industrial action to be taken yesterday.
It comes after more than 90% of the workers in the area – who are employed by outsourced waste management company Biffa – voted for industrial action on a turnout of more than 60% with a dispute that’s said to stem from Biffa refusing to increase wages, GMB Union said.
Biffa is refusing to increase wages for the majority of the workers above the 1.75% that local government workers received for 2021, and GMB Union explained that despite “extensive negotiations”, the waste company was still reluctant to increase its offer, even though it’s “a private company and therefore not bound by public sector pay restraint policies”.
Despite its commercial waste operation being heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and several lockdowns throughout 2020 and 2021, Biffa is still said to have remained “highly profitable”, and recorded pre-tax profits of £26 million last year.
Following the vote for industrial action, GMB Union will now meet with members to discuss dates for the strike – which is said could potentially happen in as little as two weeks’ time.
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Residents in Manchester are now facing bin strikes after workers voted for industrial action to be taken / Credit: Geograph
Strike action could affect up to 220,000 homes in Manchester.
The workers that could be involved in the strike – who are members of both GMB and Unite unions – include drivers, loaders, and environmental operatives.
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Speaking on the results of the vote, Michael Clark – Regional Organiser at GMB Union – said: “Manchester’s residents now face a bin strike. The city’s refuse collectors and street scene services worked through the pandemic, doing a tough job, now they need help to get them through the biggest fall in living standards for 50 years.
“We urge Biffa to come back to us with a decent offer to stop this strike before it begins.”
More than 90% of the workers in the area voted for industrial action / Credit: Flickr (via oatsy40)
A Biffa spokesperson told the MEN in response: “We are in active and ongoing negotiations with the unions and remain committed to reaching a solution as quickly as possible.”
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A Manchester City Council spokesperson also told the MEN following the vote: “We are aware of the ballot decision today to go ahead with industrial action and we will continue to work with Biffa, and we will monitor the situation while negotiations are ongoing to reach a solution and avoid strike action.
“We will continue to put plans in place to minimise potential disruption during any planned strike action.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Emily Sergeant -
13th April 2022 
