Bin workers are in dispute with Birmingham City Council, bringing disruption to neighbourhoods

Birmingham council chiefs spoke of their ‘incredible disappointment’ after bin workers rejected a cash settlement offer to end strikes that are disrupting the city.

They said continued strikes would cause ‘more disruption to residents at even greater expense to the taxpayer’ after Unite the union turned down the offer to settle the dispute.

The offer, described by the council as ‘fair and reasonable’, included a cash settlement rumoured to be around £7,000-a-head to affected workers. Around 150 bin workers had learned their role was being axed in a move designed to curb equal pay claims.

READ MORE: Five Birmingham bin and waste changes included in painful council budget

“It is incredibly disappointing that members of Unite the union in waste have rejected the council’s fair and reasonable offer to resolve the dispute and bring their industrial action to an end,” said a council spokesperson on behalf of the leadership.

“Our robust contingency plans have meant we have been able to keep disruption to a minimum, though of course it has meant missed collections, causing understandable anger among some residents.

“The continuance of industrial action will inevitably mean yet more disruption to residents at even greater expense to the taxpayer.

“Our door is still open, and we would urge Unite to come back to the table.

“We thank residents for their understanding and patience so far and will continue to provide up-to-date information about our plans during the industrial action.”

Unite is representing 150 workers whose Grade 3 roles as Waste Recycling and Collection Officers were being axed in a restructure. In all around 350 Unite members are striking to save the jobs. Birmingham Live understands the settlement figure offered is £7,000 but that has not been officially confirmed.

The role is described as safety-critical on large council trucks, with the WRCOs carrying out safety checks and reporting rubbish on the streets alongside their loader duties. But the role has also been implicated and referenced in thousands of equal pay claims, and it has been deemed vital the council axes it to avoid future claims.

Bin workers say they have already voluntarily accepted cuts to pay and terms and conditions after the council declared its effective bankruptcy in 2023, but fear more job losses as a rollout begins from April of fortnightly collections of landfill and recycling. Dire mismanagement of the service has been highlighted in damning reports by commissioners and external auditors.

The city also has one of the country’s worst rates of recycling, while many of the trucks in service are regularly breaking down and past their working life. Binmen report constant breakdowns – including one crew having to return to depot four times in a single shift because of repeated issues.

Unite said negotiations to end the dispute were being hampered due to the influence of commissioners, led by Max Caller, who were appointed by the previous Government because of the council’s financial crisis.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Ministers should now step in. Cutting vital public services to the bone and victimising workers is not what Labour was elected to do.”

The workers are taking strike action on these dates:

February 17, 18, 20, 25, 26, 27

March 3, 4, 6, 10, 12, 14, 17, 18, 21, 25, 26, 28,31

April 2, 4

Further industrial action will be scheduled if the dispute is not resolved.

Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said of the strike: “It’s glaringly obvious to both staff and residents that the service is an unholy mess and is being driven further and further into the ground. It is time central government intervened over this race-to-the-bottom against jobs and services.”