Workers at Fountains at the Whiffler road depot in Norwich arrive at the meeting where they were told they were being laid off with immediate effect. Photo by Simon Finlay
Norwich Fountains workers: Our world has come tumbling down after job losses
Richard Wheeler
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
6:30 AM
Fountains workers and their families have said their worlds came “tumbling down” after the announcement they had lost their jobs.
The Norwich City Council contractor Fountains Group went into administration yesterday, which meant 153 workers were made redundant.
The environmental management company, formerly known as Connaught Environmental Services, had a £4.6m a year contract with the city council to clean streets and maintain parks.
It also had a £3.3m a year contract to collect rubbish and recycling from thousands of city homes, which it sub-let to waste management business Biffa.
Phone calls were made to workers throughout yesterday morning, urging them to attend a 1pm briefing at the company’s Whiffler Road depot, Mile Cross.
By 12.30pm scores of workers were milling around, nervously chatting to each other and waiting for the announcement to begin.
At 12.50pm they were all called into depot with a shutter pulled down.
And within minutes the news was released - all 153 to be released with immediate effect.
One worker, who did not wish to be named, stormed out of the meeting early.
He said: “I honestly didn’t think we would all be laid off in one go. It’s a hell of a shock. There’s probably 200 people involved and their families will be affected.
“Who is going to clean Norwich if we are out of a job with immediate effect?”
Leon Pizey, of Gurney Road, New Catton, said he was planning to take out a mortgage on a house after believing the firm could soldier on despite undergoing a difficult time.
But the 22-year-old, who joined as an apprentice four years ago, said: “They said we are so sorry, the company was put up for re-tendering and no-one was interested, with immediate effect you’re all redundant.
“A lot of people saw it coming but they were still shocked. There was one guy who stormed out. Everyone is agreeing that the company has never been straight-forward with us since the beginning.
“When you come to work and put your heart and soul into it and people turn around and say we’re not bringing in enough money it’s heartbreaking. Our jobs still need to be done - parks need to unlocked, all the gardening needs to be done.”
Another staff member Richard North said both he and his son were now out of work.
Mr North, who has been working at the site for 26 years, said: “They are not bothered about us at all. Is the council going to do something? The bins are not going to get emptied from now. The council should have left it as City Care. We had the big site, the money, the council behind it and everyone knew everyone.
“I don’t know what to say to my son - how do you console someone? You can only do your best. When the company was taken over by the new people we always thought they would promise the world and give us nothing.”
The wife of a tree surgeon, who did not wish to be named, affected by yesterday’s news said she was angry with the company and the city council.
She said: “It’s dreadful, absolutely dreadful the company’s behaviour and how it’s been done. Are they going to train new people or what? We don’t know. He doesn’t have a clue. I don’t know how we will deal with it. There’s been no warning whatsoever - Norwich City Council must have known.”
Joanne Pitt said her partner was paid weekly by Fountains and he had been told it was “unlikely” he will receive payment for last week’s work.
She said: “We are certainly in a very big muddle now and we are both extremely upset. My thoughts are with the families of all the Fountains workers who lost their jobs. One minute you’re a worker in the city centre of Norwich, next minute you’re whole world comes tumbling down.”
City council bosses said they have been in talks with Biffa, Fountains Group and the administrators about the future of the workers - and to ensure services such as bin collections continue.
Alan Waters, cabinet member for resources at Norwich City Council, said: “Our absolute priority is that we continue to provide the waste and recycling collections and other important services to our residents.
“As soon as we were told, we went into immediate discussions about how to maintain the waste and recycling contract with Biffa so that people’s bins continue to be emptied and their recycling collected.
“We also focused on how to deliver the services Fountains has been providing, such as street cleaning, tree management and grounds maintenance at parks, cemeteries and open spaces in the city.
“We have already spoken to the administrator as a matter of urgency to discuss the continuation of these contracts and what we can do to try and protect local jobs.
“Sadly, this is another major company which has ceased to trade because of the difficult economic conditions and these unforeseen situations are now a financial reality for large organisations like ourselves, especially in the public sector.”
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17 comments
Good idea Rorping, the council recently employed another two peeps as recycling officers-bin police on 30K each. I think along with the other 20 recycling officers that the City council employs, that whilst everything is limbo, that these boys and girls should be ordered onto the streets to keep them and the bins clean...every little helps Brenda!!
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nrg
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
There are claims this is all not transparent as per the court case that the council had to waste money paying off morrisons - council should step in and employ the current workers as they will not get any redundancy - shows how little they care about local jobs another 150 at the job centre then
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Jimmy Hupperby
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Peter , the refuse collection was sub contracted to Biffa so it would be easy for the council to say carry on (at what cost) untill a new contract can be sorted. As for cleaning the market and the centre of the city ,Just maybe the councilors will be pushing the broom and emptying the bins for nothing , just as the Tory goverment want us all to do when good jobs are lost.
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Rorping
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
no consolation for the workers but my bin was collected as per normal schedule.i hope the workers are members of trade unions who have never been needed more,ultimately it's all any worker has to defend them.
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Peter Watson
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Donman why blame the council, because they were warned that Connaught could not deliver all the services it claimed for the bid they submitted. When Connaught collapsed the environmental side was sold and renamed, but esentially connaught ! We are paying taxes and now basic services will not be done. All because of the council leaders who did not listen to the professionals in the first place.
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chebram71
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
whos going 2 clean all the streets and parks now parks are meant 2 b a safe place 2 take ur kids 2 play but these r just going 2 get clogged up with litter and play equiment aint going 2 b checked fountains r just a joke belive me if my kid get injured on any park now city council will soon now about it belive me i live nx dr 2 1 and theres constanyley glass in there no 1 knows how hard these guys all worked 2 many pen pushesrs worked there send them out 2 do the job they wont have a clue were 2 start
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hayley
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Why do people blame the City Council for the failings of the management of a private sector company. The City Council in awarding the contract was only carrying out its legal responsibilities to award a contract which achieved best value for the residents of Norwich If they had awarded the contract to a higher bidder then they would have been accused of wasting public money!
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Donman
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Here we go again. The council are to blame oure and simple. They took on Connaught knowing the company would be unable to deliver services due to such a low bid just to secure the contract. Then when Connaught failed low and behold there was a seperate environmental devision which was renamed Fountains, still Connaught at the end of the day. So it was inevitable that even this part of the company would also fail. So those leaders who made the initial decision, pat yourselves on the back for now making over 150 redundant !!!!! Personally they should step down themselves cause they only cause chaos with everything they touch !
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chebram71
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I agree that this work should be brought back in-house with Fountains workers re-employed by the council. It shows the inadequacy of out-sourcing. The recent consultations on cuts by the City Council showed that street cleaning was a top priority for council tax payers. It's important for the overall health and wealth of the City.
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Rich Hartt
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I agree with Rorping's comment - work for the City should be taken back in house. City Works was profitable but the Labour Council decided it should be sold off, which was the start of this sorry episode.
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DrJB
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
THFC8 Thank you, you've answered my question. So its Connaught, Verdant.Fountains and then Biffa? Try and explain that to the public. Still a bloody mess!
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FIGGIS
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
This Council needs to look at ways to take all the lost work that was the City worksCity Care back in house. Just look at the tower block at mile cross,still a sad site . In the days of City care it had all the trades working together and this tower would have been returned to use by now. They have lost the experts at both City Hall and Mile Cross Depot , the city is a mess.
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Rorping
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I am wondering just how safe the new Norse contract is? As looking at companies intelligence they appear to be losing money.
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John L Norton
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
@FIGGIS. Maybe it is because Fountains had the contract for refuse and recycling, that is why their talking about it. Fountains just subbed it to Biffa. Maybe you've lost the plot?
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THFC8
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The person who should have been made redundant is Alan Waters he is just not up to the job.
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chucky noris
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
They subcontracted the refuse and recycling out to Biffa. Surely though, the council's absolute priority should be worrying about the guys that were made redundant and their families??????
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IT Man
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Would somebody tell me why the Council are talking about refuse and recycling??? The Fountains contract dealt with Street cleaning, Grounds Maintenance and Trees!!. They have lost the plot.
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FIGGIS
Tuesday, January 24, 2012