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WALTHAM FOREST: Three Kier staff suspended

THREE workers at the borough's street cleaning and rubbish collection vehicle depot have been suspended for alleged misconduct.

Kier, the company contracted by Waltham Forest Council to carry out the services, said it was related to "an investigation into compliance with managerial procedures and processes”.

The company said it would be inappropriate to comment further.

The Low Hall depot, in South Access Road, Walthamstow, is Kier's base of operations in the borough.

A council spokesman said: "Kier are a contractor with their own staff and disciplinary measures - the council did bring a vehicle and driver to the attention of Kier to investigate, but would/could not suspend staff".

The company has previously come under fire from residents for the quality of its street cleaning service and rubbish collections, which it took over responsibility for last year.

In December the council announced two members of Kier staff were no longer working for the company following allegations that refuge workers deliberately mixed rubbish and recycling together in a truck.

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Comments(14)

mdj says...
5:38pm Fri 3 Feb 12

A larger question is why Kier themselves were not 'suspended for misconduct', ie blacklisted from tendering for public contracts, after being handed the highest-ever fine for contract-rigging. If a company is known to be massively corrupt, why would a Council want to carry on working with it? Why on earth is it allowed to?
Kier pleaded in mitigation (not appeal, be it noted) that the fine - based on turnover - was excessive, because their business model was to bid low and gain large quantities of work by accepting a lower rate of profit. When we recall how the promised 'saving' of 600k which won Kier the street cleaning contract has been far outweighed by the many add-ons that they have charged for since (for tasks which previously formed part of the service) we see how this game is played. And yet our Councillors continue to deal with them: why?

peaceful says...
6:32pm Fri 3 Feb 12

Well there's a surprise headline!

tlogic says...
11:19pm Sat 4 Feb 12

Kiers should stick to what they are good at, building.

Walthamster says...
11:36pm Sat 4 Feb 12

But as mdj says, Kier has been fined for contract-rigging. Why is Waltham Forest council still awarding contracts to a discredited company?

peaceful says...
1:02am Sun 5 Feb 12

Cause they are all in bed together.

bc460353 says...
2:52pm Sun 5 Feb 12

u guys are behind the times - kier won their appeal against this charge and fine

tjw422 says...
3:50pm Sun 5 Feb 12

KIER in conjunction with network rail (solum) are soon to begin building, in the Central station car-park, the multi-storey latest whore-house (sorry, travelodge hotel) in readiness for the olympics. This multi-building high rise development was fully supported by our wonderfull cllrs. who ignored all of the local residents objections who it will directly affect.

who-me says...
4:19pm Sun 5 Feb 12

It all depends on the size of the brown envelope , some are small and others a lot larger .

mdj says...
6:11pm Sun 5 Feb 12

Let me stand corrected: the fine was greatly reduced because the builders argued the 'watchdog failed to account for their low profit margins or early admission of bid rigging.'
The charge of corruption was upheld, not overturned.
So, only corrupt, not record-breakingly so. Just the sort of people we should be doing business with, obviously.

Walthamster says...
10:21pm Sun 5 Feb 12

That's interesting.

Kier is concerned enough to have a publicist posting fake comments here.

Kier didn't win an appeal against the corruption charge - it just got its fine reduced. But I wouldn't have thought of checking what bc460353 posted.

So Kier is corrupt and it has people posting fake information in its favour. Useful to know.

DaveE17 says...
11:12pm Sun 5 Feb 12

Yes, bc460353 is certainly being economical with the truth as Kier have not 'won their appeal'. As the article below notes, Kier were eventually fined £1.7 million for cover price rigging, a practice 'where firms submit false bids which force an artificially high price on clients'. Given this, it's nice to see that the Council still believes they are a fit and proper company who deserve to be awarded contracts - http://www.insidehou
sing.co.uk/kier-wins
-reduction-on-cover-
pricing-fine/6514054
.article

peaceful says...
11:41pm Sun 5 Feb 12

Like I said they are all in bed together.

VillageIdiot69 says...
12:22pm Wed 8 Feb 12

Kier are one of the most corrupt companies I have ever come across, the only reason they win local authority contracts is because they throw back handers around like confetti in order to get them.

This story is so typical of Kier, punish the little guys who may or may not have done something wrong but don't punish the corrupt managers, etc that bribe their way into various contracts.

Walthamster says...
2:41pm Wed 8 Feb 12

Kier's "early admission of bid rigging" got their fine reduced, as mdj reminds us. So they don't even pretend they're innocent.

And yet Waltham Forest council keeps giving them work....

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