The boss of waste firm that barred a beloved street cleaner from using £3,000 for a dream getaway earns £135,000-a-year, enjoys luxury holidays in Barbados and golf breaks.
Residents in Beckenham cobbled together to raise thousands to send Paul Spiers, 63, on a holiday of a lifetime after cleaning the streets of the south-east London town since 2017.
But in a cruel twist, his employer – waste firm Veolia – banned the ‘adored’ cleaner from accepting the gift claiming its strict rules prohibit staff from taking monetary gifts or incentives beyond their regular salary.
Elvis lover Mr Spiers’, who often cleans the roads playing music as he goes, has only been abroad once to Portugal and dreamed of visiting again, leading to his neighbours to set up the fundraiser.
But instead the firm said the cash would go to a charity of Mr Spiers’ choice, sparking outrage from members of the public who called the decision ‘absolutely senseless’ and ‘vile’.
Now MailOnline can reveal Mr Spiers’ ultimate boss Pascal Hauret – who is Veolia’s managing director of municipal waste and street cleansing – earns an estimated £135,958, according to recruitment firm Glassdoor.
The corporate bigwig spends his downtime playing golf on beautiful, sprawling green courses and previously enjoyed travelling to the Caribbean.
In one review on social media, Mr Hauret described the ‘wonderful experience’ he had while dining at a beach-side Italian restaurant in the village of Hastings in the Bahamas.
Paul Spiers, who turned 63 last week, has been cleaning the streets of Beckenham since 2017
Pascal Hauret is the managing director of municipal waste collection and street cleansing for Veolia and is on an estimated salary of £135,000-a-year, according to Glassdoor
A review by Mr Hauret of a beachside Italian restaurant in Barbados
The restaurant is located looking out onto the white sand beaches, surrounded by crystal blue waters. The holiday resort is known to be a surfers paradise.
He wrote in 2016: ‘I wish I could give 10 stars. A wonderful experience at Buzo, probably the best Italian restaurant you can select. Great food, great staff, the restaurant is in a class of its own when it comes to hospitality.’
A Veolia spokesperson said: ‘We are truly grateful for the support and recognition shown by the community to Paul, who alongside a hardworking street cleansing team, does a fantastic job keeping Bromley’s streets clean.
‘We are always happy to hear from members of the public who want to recognise our teams. Unfortunately on this occasion, we were not made aware of the fundraising and were therefore unable to work together to find the most appropriate way to recognise Paul.
‘Our contract with Bromley Council does not permit our staff to accept any monies or incentives outside of agreed pay structures. We have agreed with Paul that we will match the amount raised as of Friday 9th August to be donated to a charity of his choice.
‘Veolia has a number of recognition schemes across the UK that reward our colleagues for exceptional services to the community and Paul will be the recipient of Bromley’s Employee of the Quarter – an internal financial reward to recognise his hard work and dedication.’
The GoFundMe page had been created by Mr Spiers’ friend called Lisa Knight who hailed the cleaner for ‘lifting everyone’s spirits’ with his ‘positive presence’.
Paul 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’
The gofundme page has raised almost £3,000 for Paul through kind donations from people in the community
According to social media Mr Hauret spends his downtime playing golf on beautiful, sprawling green courses and previously enjoyed travelling to the Caribbean.
Mr Hauret’s social media accounts show pictures of sprawling golf courses
She wrote on the donation site; ‘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.’
The pair 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.’
Paul and Lisa (pictured) became friends over their shared love for Elvis Presley
Paul (left) has only been abroad once, to Portugal, and has dreamed of going back ever since
Beckenham High Street (pictured) where Paul can be found working and playing music as he goes
Ms 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 employer 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.’
Bromley Council have been contacted by MailOnline 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 were previously paid just £9.50 an hour.
This included those who have a HGV class two driving licence, with class-one HGV drivers received 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.’
