Brighton and Hove City Council’s waste service provider Cityclean is reported to be “mired in racism, sexism, and homophobia,” according to an independent inquiry commissioned by the council’s leader, Bella Sankey. A report summary by Aileen McColgan KC revealed “swearing, shouting, and threatening behaviour” to be routine, including towards senior management. The council said it had taken the whistleblowing claims with “the most extreme seriousness” and would act on the findings. The full report is expected to be published in October.
One manager said that he came to work with a “bad taste” in his mouth, anticipating routine verbal abuse. Another alleged a “very misogynistic” culture. Witnesses claimed that staff had been subjected to racist abuse and that racist graffiti regularly defaced a Cityclean refuse truck parked in the depot. Witnesses also said that criticism directed at female senior managers was largely gender-based.
One testimony indicated that a group of bin collectors used the dating app Grindr to lead on gay staff and that a gay worker was subjected to homophobic taunts. A spokesperson from Unison, which represents Cityclean’s workers, said the findings were “damning” and added that “unions have been alerting management to the inappropriate behaviour at the depot for a while”.
Council chief executive Will Tuckley said all parties intended to “improve the behaviour and culture at Cityclean to make sure it’s a fair and inclusive place for everyone to work”. Sankey added that “zero tolerance for bullying, aggression, racism, misogyny, and homophobia” was vital
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