Neighbours who raised almost £3,000 to give their beloved street cleaner the holiday of a lifetime have been left outraged after he was told he couldn’t have the money.
Elvis-loving Paul Spiers, who turned 63 last week, has been cleaning the roads of Beckenham in south-east London since 2017 – often playing music as he goes.
He is ‘adored by all’ in the local community, according to his friend Lisa Knight, who hailed him for ‘lifting everyone’s spirits’ with his ‘positive presence’.
When Paul told her recently he’d only been abroad once, to Portugal, and that he dreamed of visiting again, a fundraising campaign was set up to help the humble cleaner enjoy a well-earned break.
But in a cruel twist, his employer Veolia said he can’t have the money, as strict rules prohibit staff from accepting any monetary gifts or incentives beyond their regular salary.
Ms Knight wrote on the gofundme page: ‘As an integral part of our Beckenham village, Paul is adored by all.
‘Giving him this incredible gift would be a heartfelt way to show our appreciation for everything he does. Let’s come together to make this dream happen for someone who truly deserves it.’
Paul and Ms Knight became friends over their shared love of Elvis Presley.
This week she wrote: ‘Unfortunately, we have received news that Paul is unable to accept the donations due to restrictions set by his employer, Veolia, in accordance with their contract with Bromley Council. These rules prohibit staff from accepting any monetary gifts or incentives beyond their regular salary.
‘We’re deeply disappointed that this decision prevents Paul from enjoying this well-deserved holiday as a recognition for all of his hard work for the Beckenham community.
‘We have expressed our disappointment to both the council and Veolia and intend to continue to push on this, but please be rest assured, if we are unsuccessful in doing so you will all be refunded
‘Once again, thank you for your incredible support and for being part of this fundraiser.’
Knight has said she has taken the matter up with both the Council and Veolia.
Social media users have been left outraged by the update. They wrote on the Beckenham Appreciation Facebook group to express their anger.
One person wrote: ‘Gift it to him, you purchase it and add his name. The world has bloody gone mad!!!’
Another said: ‘How on earth can his employee stop him from receiving a gift from the community? The donated money isn’t a ‘bonus’ or a ‘tip’ it’s a gift totally separate from him work. What the hell am I reading?
‘This also implies you couldn’t even give him a pat on the back at Christmas and give him a fiver for a pint? God I hate these vile corporations.’
‘There is NO WAY the money can be given to a charity when it was meant for Paul, he HAS to get that holiday. It would just be the worst thing if he didn’t go now. Veolia needs to review their utterly senseless decision,’ said another.
Another person added: ‘If he’s retiring soon can the gift be given to him after he retires? Then he has no obligations to Veolia.’
Veolia and Bromley Council have been contacted by for comment.
It was reported by Unite the Union that nearly 100 refuse workers employed by Veolia in Sheffield were taking strike action last month.
Workers were reportedly furious that their employer was ‘refusing to allow collective bargaining agreements’ with Unite despite the membership of the union representing around 80% of the depot’s workforce.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said at the time: ‘It is absurd that a union representing 80 per cent of a workforce is blocked from making collective bargaining arrangements by an employer, especially one it has national agreements with up and down the country.
‘Our members are rightly angry at such game-playing and having exhausted all negotiations are taking to the picket line to state their case. Unite will be backing them one hundred per cent of the way.’
The union reported in 2022 that despite Veolia’s incredible wealth — generating revenues of around £1.8billion a year —the majority of workers are paid just £9.50 an hour.
This includes those who have a HGV class two driving licence, with class one HGV drivers receiving just £11.87 an hour.
Ms Graham said at the time: ‘The spirit of Scrooge is alive and kicking this Christmas. Veolia is an incredibly wealthy company. Its workers are already poorly paid but somehow it thinks it is acceptable to offer them just a few pence extra, during the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.
‘Unite is entirely committed to defending and enhancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the workers at Veolia will receive the union’s complete support.’