Ken Bodfish, the leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, has refused to reinstate a handful of refuse workers suspended for taking unofficial industrial action, saying enough is enough and blaming them for poor collections.

With workers gagged by the council from airing in public the truth behind why there has been poor collections of late, I will do it for them.

Firstly, on the occasion binmen's money was docked for supposedly not working hard enough to qualify for a bonus for working over a bank holiday, was it the binmen's fault the tip was closed early and they couldn't offload the refuse?

How could they make any more collections that day if they had

nowhere to load it on to? Why didn't Cityclean management make special arrangements for the tip to stay open longer?

Secondly, Councillor Bodfish has said that for 20-odd years the refuse service has been one of the most expensive in the country. Is this the binmen's fault as well? Not on your Nelly. The blame for this can be laid squarely on shoulders of the brains department earning coconuts at Cityclean, not binmen doing the dirty work for peanuts.

For instance, who was it recently that sent out thousands of letters to punters telling them their collection day was still the same day and who was it told binmen to pick up rubbish in my road on a Wednesday and then come back next day to pick up rubbish left behind just an arm's length away?

And why was the Thistle Hotel twice recently used to hold meetings with union officials? How much did that cost and what was wrong with using council chambers or union headquarters to hold the meetings?

It's clear to me a clear-out at the top, not the bottom, is required.

Denis Goatcher

-Stonery Road, Portslade