BIN workers who were sacked for eating sandwiches in a colleagues garden, have shared their story.
Workers from SUEZ in Bridgwater visited their colleagues house for bacon sandwiches - a regular occurrence - and ate the sandwiches in the garden.
But later on, the workers involved were suspended with full pay and eventually sacked for a health and safety breach.
A spokesperson for SUEZ, a contractor for Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP), said they have “clear rules, expectations and training on health and safety”.
READ MORE: Bridgwater bin workers SACKED for eating bacon sandwiches on round
One crew member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said they did not have their SUEZ logos on show when they broke Covid-19 regulations, and so they were not representing the company at the time.
They said: "Even before the pandemic, we used to stop there all the time.
"On this particular day, I had a text the day before asking what time am I was going to be round.
"We didn’t go in the house, we were socially distanced and all two metres apart when we were there and we were on a lunch break as well.
"The sandwiches were handed to us, we were invited round but were social distancing, and no one warned of isolation or of any potential Covid cases.
"We’ve been going there for years, and sticking to the bubble, but we had no company logos on show.
"Two colleagues actually phoned up 119 and asked about the situation, as we were in the garden and not in the house.
"They said we hadn't done anything wrong unless we went inside the property.
"We didn’t know that anyone in that household had Covid-19.
"They acted like normal, no one said they were isolating, we just didn’t know."
A spokesperson for SUEZ said: “As key workers delivering an essential service our teams have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic
“We have clear rules and that extends to reducing the risk to our people from Covid-19 while at work.”
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