Veolia got £4.2bn from UK privatisation, gives CEO £3m – but a worker can’t accept a £3k holiday?

Veolia, the private sector outsourcing giant that’s gobbled up huge swathes of local authority privatised contracts, is at the centre of a growing storm over the treatment of one of its workers. Of course, the company probably doesn’t care less – as it’s bled the public purse dry of billions over the years, while its French CEO rakes in £3m a year.

Veolia: Scrooge Mc-rubbish-truck

As the Guardian reported:

More than 200 people in Beckenham, south-east London, made contributions to send Paul Spiers on a summer break in Portugal. By Monday, £3,000 was in the kitty, mostly from small sums of £5 or £10.

But Spiers, 63, will not be getting on any plane. His employer, the waste management company Veolia, decreed that its staff were prohibited from accepting “gifts or incentives”.

The money was raised as a gesture of appreciation to Spiers, who has worked as a road sweeper in the London borough of Bromley for seven years. In that time he has lifted “everyone’s spirits with his positive presence” and kept the streets immaculate, according to the person who launched the fundraiser.

According to the Times, Veolia has instead made Paul ’employee of the quarter’ – just to add capitalist insult to injury. It has also donated £3k to a charity of his choice – again, just to add etc etc. Veolia said:

We are truly grateful for the support and recognition shown by the community to Paul, who alongside a hardworking street cleansing team, does a fantastic job keeping Bromley’s streets clean. We are always happy to hear from members of the public who want to recognise our teams. Unfortunately on this occasion, we were not made aware of the fundraising and were therefore unable to work together to find the most appropriate way to recognise Paul.

Our contract with Bromley council does not permit our staff to accept any monies or incentives outside of agreed pay structures. We have agreed with Paul that we will match the amount raised as of Friday August 9 to be donated to a charity of his choice.

Kicking off, Home Counties-style

The new local Labour MP Liam Conlon (son of the infamous Sue Gray) has even got involved – writing a letter to Tory-run Bromley council:

I share the disappointment of many that community street cleaner Paul Spiers has been told he is unable to accept the gift of a holiday from Beckenham residents

My letter to the Leader of Bromley Council. Let’s use some common-sense so Paul can enjoy the holiday he deserves ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/prlUCFZoLw

— Liam Conlon (@LiamConlon2) August 12, 2024

People on X were kicking off. Well, we say ‘kicking off’ – not in a South London way (nb. this writer lives in South London) but in a politely ‘Outraged in Oxfordshire’ way:

Come on @VeoliaUK this is quite clearly not a bribe, I’m sure you can take a more reasonable approach and let everyone have the happy ending! https://t.co/O445RFUvZt

— Jayne Moorby (@JayneMoobs) August 13, 2024

Daisy made a very good point, though:

So MPs are allowed to accept paid for foreign trips, but a street sweeper can’t.

Riddle me that. https://t.co/S35rU4CCmR

— Daisy Ayliffe (@daisyayliffe) August 13, 2024

Meanwhile, Veolia made over €7bn in a year from its ‘waste management services’ (or rather, cleaning up or climate-wrecking, capitalist mess) – while its French CEO made £3m. Since 2016, its privatised UK contracts have been worth at least £4.2bn

Of course, none of this is really the point.

Distracting

First, and why has Paul only ever been abroad once in his 63 years on this planet? Well, recently its probably got something to do with the fact Veolia is notorious for underpaying its staff. It has faced multiple industrial disputes in recent years.

Then, predictably its tax affairs are ‘interesting’ at best. For example, Veolia’s water subsidiary in Australia paid no tax in 2019-20. Meanwhile, in the UK a cursory glance on Companies House shows Veolia operates dozens of subsidiaries of its main UK holding company and its ultimate French parent company. This means you’d have to be an accounting genius to work out whether or not the waste management firm was avoiding any UK tax.

But moreover, it’s the fact that distinctly middle-class Beckenham (yes, I live near there) is in uproar that THEIR gift to that poor, working-class street cleaner has been rejected. How DARE they refuse OUR philanthropy?

Predictably, before the boundary changes, the Beckenham constituency was always Tory.

So, instead of voting for politicians who might improve working-class people’s lives overall, the good people of Beckenham show that classic, Victorian compassionate conservatism: pat poor people on the head, give them a farthing, and send them on their way (or to the workhouse if they’ve been bad). They’ve just voted in a Red Tory, so little has probably changed.

Paul will get his holiday, as Veolia will inevitably cave under corporate media pressure. But the issues around this story are unlikely to change anytime soon.

Featured image via the Canary