Birmingham bin strike could last until December

A long-running strike by bin workers in Birmingham could last until December, according to union Unite, after members voted to continue industrial action in a dispute over pay and jobs.

The union said on Wednesday that 97% of those who voted backed continued strike action, on a 75% turnout.

"The decision makers at Birmingham council need to get in the room and put forward an acceptable offer," said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, warning strikes would continue for "as long as it takes".

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said it had made a "fair and reasonable offer" and that it remained committed to resolving the dispute.

It added that it had urged the union to put that offer to its members.

However, Ms Graham said: "After smearing these workers in public since January and telling them to accept a fair and reasonable offer that never existed, the council finally put a proposal in writing last week.

"True to form, the proposal came weeks late and was not in line with the ballpark offer discussed during Acas talks in May."

Last week Ms Graham claimed the deal had been watered down - a point denied by the council.

A spokesperson for the Labour-run local authority said the bin collection service needed to be transformed "to one that citizens of Birmingham deserve".

"We have made a fair and reasonable offer that we have asked Unite to put to their members and we are awaiting their response," they said.

The ballot was not a response to the latest offer made through the conciliation service Acas, they added.

On-and-off strike action began on 6 January with 12 walkouts planned across four months, and the union began an indefinite all-out strike on 11 March.

Talks have been held under the chairmanship of Acas, but the dispute has remained in deadlock.

UK law requires unions to reballot their members every six months to continue industrial action, meaning the current vote gives permission for strikes up until December.

Mountains of rubbish heaped up on the city's streets in March and April, and led to concerns over public health - at the same time there were queues of up to a mile at some mobile collection points as residents tried to get rid of their waste.

The city is currently affected by strike action five days a week, from Monday to Friday, continuously.

The dispute initially centred on the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles but escalated amid anger over an alleged move by the local authority to hire temporary labour which the union claimed would "undermine" the walkouts.

The union claimed about 170 workers faced losing up to £8,000 a year - but the council disputed the figures.

The local authority claimed the number of staff that could have lost the maximum amount of just over £6,000 was 17 people, and they would have pay protection for six months.

The dispute has since grown to include issues over the long-term pay of bin lorry drivers.

In April, the union said, under new council plans, drivers' pay could also fall from £40,000 to £32,000.

The council said it was carrying out a "fair and transparent job evaluation process" agreed with trade unions, to comply with equal pay laws.

A spokesperson for Acas said: "We recognise the challenges on all sides and the desire to find a resolution, and we stand ready to offer our support."

Industrial disputes are by their very nature difficult to resolve. Agreement can and does take time, and there is of course a necessity for the two sides to find common ground.

As we enter the fourth month of all-out strike action in Birmingham, what is becoming increasingly apparent is that neither side feels it has much ground to give.

The union says its members facing cuts to pay are being asked to make sacrifices that they as individuals cannot afford. Their determination is apparent in the outcome of this ballot.

At the same time, the council says there are limits to what it can offer and that for the most part, are not about money.

The reorganisation of the service which prompted the dispute centres on the authority's long-standing problem with equal pay claims.

Claims made by female council staff on the same job grades elsewhere in the authority have already cost over £1bn and were one of the main drivers of the council effectively going bankrupt in 2023.

This loss must be stemmed says the council, and so there are limits to what can be negotiated under the new pay grades or it says it risks falling into the same legal quagmire.

Further talks involving Acas are due to take place in the coming days.

This ballot does not mean industrial action will continue until Christmas, but it means it is possible, and Unite will believe it hands its negotiators the strongest possible hand in those talks.

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