Bin men who helped an elderly man clear bags of rubble from his garden are SACKED 'for gross misconduct' by private firm that charges council £8million a year 

  • The Kent trio had collected extra items of waste including bags of rubble
  •  Alex Steven, Robert Jefford and Dave Clark were fired for doing so
  • The former claims they had just been trying to help out and elderly man  
  • Employers, Veolia's newsletter on the day they were sacked praised them
  • Locals are so disgusted by their treatment they have started a collection 

By Paddy Dinham For Mailonline

Published: 12:24 EST, 22 November 2016 | Updated: 15:05 EST, 22 November 2016

(Left to right) Alex Steven, Robert Jefford and Dave Clark ere fired for gross misconduct

A group of binmen have been given the sack just weeks before Christmas - because they helped an elderly man clear bags of rubble from his garden.

Alex Steven, Robert Jefford and Dave Clark were fired for gross misconduct on the same day their employer published a newsletter containing a note from a resident praising their work.

The binmen, who operated in Chatham, Kent, say they were not given a written or verbal warning before being dismissed on November 7.

After a complaint from one local, bosses at private firm Veolia reviewed footage taken from a dust cart camera, which is fitted on all vehicles, showing the crew collecting extra items of waste.

Six years ago Veolia won a £200million contract to provide recycling and street cleaning services in Medway until 2017 and waste treatment and disposal services until 2035.

Alex, 49, of Gillingham, Kent, said: 'We were just trying to help an old man out.

'He had moved in and all these things had been left in the garden.

'We were just trying to do our jobs.

'We have had problems in the same road before and whenever we would radio in about collecting an item someone had left out, we were always told to just throw it in.'

Dad-of-eight Dave, 51, said: 'We weren't doing anything different to what every other crew does every day of the week.'

On the day they were given the sack, Veolia's newsletter was published, which contained a letter from a resident living on the Hoo Peninsula praising the crew for their hard work.

Residents are so upset that they were sacked just before Christmas that they have started a collection to help the men and their families over the festive period.

The binmen say they not given a written or verbal warning before being dismissed on November 7

On the day they were given the sack, Veolia's newsletter was published, which contained a letter from a resident living on the Hoo Peninsula praising the crew for their hard work

Dave, also from Gillingham, said: 'Ask anyone and they will tell you what a good crew we were.

'We are hard-working and we worked really fast. I'm out of a job now.

'I've got eight children, including a disabled daughter who is in full-time care, and I've got a mortgage to pay.'

Alex added: 'I've never been unemployed. I've worked for Veolia for six-and-a-half years and never got a verbal warning.

'I've got a 13-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son and Christmas to think about.

'I'm 49 - at my age it is not going to be easy to find another job.'

A spokesman for Veolia said they could not comment because the matter is part of an ongoing internal investigation.

 

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