London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Attacks on refuse workers soar as abuse of key workers continues to climb

Attacks on refuse workers soar as abuse of key workers continues to climb

Usdaw, the shop workers' union, said 88% of its members had been verbally abused in the past year, while the RMT said 58% of workers on trains, buses and ferries had been threatened, assaulted or spat at since the pandemic began.
One of Britain's biggest waste management companies has launched a campaign to protect its staff, after they faced a 118% increase in abuse over the last year.

In response to the more than doubling of reported incidents that have included verbal assaults, acid attacks, and gunshots allegedly being fired at refuse collectors, Veolia's Streetkind initiative beginning today, will take stronger action against those who abuse or endanger it's workers while thanking residents who recognise the work of their teams.

Veolia UK employs more than 12,000 members of staff. Between January and October of this year they reported 846 cases of both verbal and physical abuse compared to 389 cases reported in the same time frame last year, while in 2019 before the pandemic, there were 670 cases.

One of their frontline members of staff on the receiving end of abuse is Laszlo Major, a driver and recycling operative working in Haringey, north London. Around a month ago, he was threatened by a member of the public, who told him and his colleagues that he had a weapon, before verbally abusing them chasing their vehicle down the street.

The incident began when Major and his colleagues did not take a bin which the man filled with the wrong type of waste, to avoid cross contamination.

"My colleague told them we can't take the bin, but if they called the number on the note we left, my company could come back and empty it for them, these are the rules," he said.

"That's when his mindset changed, he said I'm going to kill you, I'm going to slash your throat, going to beat you (up), and things like that.

When they tried to drive away, the assault continued.

"He started banging on doors, on the window," added Major, who has worked for Veolia for two years.

He has been extensively trained on how to defuse these situations, but was still shaken by what happened.

"We had a tough three or four weeks, when you wake up in the morning you think: 'Will I go home in one piece?'," he said. "Every single time someone yelled at you, or shouted at you, you were frightened."

Beth Whittaker, Veolia's chief human resources officer, said some of the reasons for this increase in violence included people being frustrated at being stuck behind a collection vehicle or being stuck in queues at recycling centres.

"No one should be abused simply for doing their job and we're determined to combat this unacceptable trend," she said.

"As well as appealing to the public to show their appreciation for our teams, we are also focusing on training and support for our employees to respond to incidents. We will take the most serious action for the most serious attacks, including prosecutions, in order to build a safer workplace environment for our colleagues."

The issues being faced by refuse collections are part of a bigger trend.

After a year of key workers being celebrated for their work at the height of the pandemic, adulation has turned to abuse in 2021.

Usdaw, the shop workers' union, said 88% of its members had been verbally abused in the past year, while the RMT said 58% of workers on trains, buses and ferries had been threatened, assaulted or spat at since the pandemic began.

The Local Government Association (LGA) will also look to prosecute people who abuse key workers.

Councillor Peter Fleming, chairman of the LGA's Improvement and Innovation Board called the trend "a real shame."

"I think councils are saying that they will look to prosecute those who abuse their staff. Vast majority remain supportive and a few individuals are causing untold issues," he added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×