WESTMINSTER is facing a bin strike after a trade union said it had begun balloting on a borough-wide walkout.

The GMB has begun balloting members who work for waste management firm Veolia following the “dismissal of their elected rep for exposing bullying in the workplace”.

The union said all of its members who have so far responded to the initial ballot had voted to back the industrial action. They have told the company, the council’s contractor, it has until the end of the month to reinstate the rep, who has not been named.

Westminster GMB’s organiser Kay Huntbach said: “Members at Veolia are done with the treatment they are receiving, and they are ready to act. Sacking their rep is the final straw in Veolia’s anti-union and anti-worker campaign.

“GMB will always support the right of our reps and members to participate in trade union activities. GMB are ready to take a stand against the bullies of the bin world.”

The GMB has recently called its members back to work in South Tyneside following six strikes over a six-month period.

Rubbish had piled up in the Newcastle streets during the dispute over “victimisation” of active union members.

The union had said that in South Tyneside 10 per cent of the workforce had been suspended and workers had been ignored by council chiefs.

Veolia UK is a subsidiary of a French company that provides recycling and rubbish collections to councils including Westminster.

A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the internal personnel matter regarding our contractor Veolia and are in contact with them.”

A Veolia spokesperson said: “At Veolia, we have zero tolerance towards bullying in the workplace. We work hard to ensure all of our employees are treated fairly, whether or not they are union members.

“The GMB has not notified us of any formal ballot for industrial action and we would encourage them to raise any concerns to us directly through the appropriate channels.”