Veolia operative sacked for bribery & three suspended.

Veolia, have a £40m contract with Folkestone & Hythe District Council & Dover District Council. The Contract is to collect, household refuse, food waste and garden waste and recyclables across the district.

Since we last wrote about them in 2023, it has come to light that a small number of operatives/employees, who work on the lorries which collect the household refuse across the district, have been taking money for emptying bins which should not be emptied.

Locally Veolia have sacked one operative and suspended three; who are currently under investigation.

Veolia have an Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy which states:

The purpose of this policy is to:

(a) set out our responsibilities, and the responsibilities of those working for us, in observing and upholding our position on bribery and corruption and similar conduct; and

(b) provide information and guidance to those working for us on how to recognise and deal with bribery and corruption issues.

Veolia take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. The policy goes onto to state:

The Bribery Act 2010 took effect on 1st July 2011. Under that Act, bribery and corruption are punishable for individuals by up to ten years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both and if we as a company are found to have taken part in corruption or failed to prevent bribery, we could face an unlimited fine, be excluded from tendering for all public contracts (i.e. any municipal or PFI bids) and face damage to our reputation. We therefore take our legal responsibilities very seriously.

Any breach of this policy will be taken seriously. A breach of this policy may result in disciplinary action likely to amount to gross misconduct and to lead to dismissal in many cases as well as the potential for an employee to incur personal criminal liability

It is good to see Veolia taking the necessary actions it must to stamp out this kind of behavior by rogue employees/operatives, who work the rounds across the Folkestone & Hythe District.

The Shepway Vox Team

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