Birmingham’s bin strike is into its third week – and it has resulted in mountains of rubbish piling up outside homes and on grass verges, which has attracted vermin
Unite has today branded a council “absolutely disgusting” as binmen industrial action continues into a third week.
Birmingham City Council said it will make redundant up to 76 bin workers behind the all-out strike which has blighted the city. Photographs show mountains of rubbish bags lining streets, which has led to rats and cockroaches trawling through litter. With no apparent end in sight, the council stressed on Thursday evening it has “made a very fair offer” to the refuse workers, and now it must proceed with “compulsory redundancies” to find a way forward.
Negotiations will restart on Monday in a bid to persuade Unite to take the deal on offer amicably. Unite, though, responded to the move, describing the council’s actions “disgusting”. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The council has tried to smear Birmingham refuse workers with totally baseless accusations of threats and intimidation on peaceful picket lines.
“But the only threats and intimidation have come from the council itself by saying it will fire more than 70 workers who sent letters of protest about the pay cuts. The council’s behaviour is absolutely disgusting. Bully boy tactics are just making this dispute worse – our members will not back down and neither will Unite.”
READ MORE: Warning of public health emergency as mountains of rubbish pile up on residential streets
The industrial dispute unfolding is about a council decision to delete a Grade 3 job role, which Birmingham Live reports affects 170 binmen. It has got rid of the role of Waste and Recycling Collection Officer (WRCO) as part of a transformation plan, also designed to eliminate future equal pay claims from other services.
Members of Unite the union backed the affected workers who were furious at the planned changes, and an all out strike began three weeks ago. The council says all staff have been offered alternative employment at the same pay and almost three-quarters of staff have taken up this offer or decided to take voluntary redundancy. The authority confirmed there are now 41 workers who have declined any offer, while another 35 workers who initially opted for valuable and skilled driver training have also told the council via a letter from Unite that they are working under protest.
The council’s statement on Thursday, which led to the Unite fury read: “It is regrettable that it has come to this, the council has consistently tried to find a solution to the industrial action. We have made a very fair offer which means that no worker need lose any money. That offer remains open.
“We confirm that regrettably we have informed Unite representatives that next week we will formally notify and enter a period of collective consultation regarding compulsory redundancies for those who have declined all offers on the table.
“This is about securing a better waste service for the people of Birmingham. We thank staff who are working under difficult conditions and recognise the frustration of residents for which we apologise.”
The proposal declined by Unite membership in their recent ballot, according to the council, included:
- An offer of NVQ level training for alternative skilled work across other waste services
- An offer of training and equivalent graded roles in street cleansing and in other parts of the council
- Voluntary redundancy on enhanced terms, and with pension payments made up for anyone aged over 55
- Six months’ pay protection in line with council policy for the lower graded role
- A one-off payment as an alternative to redundancy to buy-out contractual entitlements
- The option to take fully funded LGV driver training and a driver role upon successful completion of training
The council say no other council has a WRCO role and its deletion is overdue. A council spokesperson said: “As part of the compulsory redundancy process, those remaining workers will be re-offered all of the options listed above and we would encourage them to consider this offer again.
“Throughout this process we have been very accommodating. Since the start of the industrial dispute, there have been regular and ongoing meetings with Unite officers and shop stewards to seek to resolve the dispute, including two under the auspices of ACAS. We must improve this service and we would ask Unite to work with us as we make these changes for the benefit of the whole city.”
Last week, police were called to Birmingham streets to supervise collections following incidents in which locals crowded the few working refuse collection lorries to offload their long discarded waste. Striking new footage shows officers wearing hi-vis jackets standing amongst piles of rubbish as the vehicles wind their way through the streets, with a few binmen carrying out work typically undertaken by hundreds.
