Union says Birmingham bin strike talks being ‘sabotaged’ as workers threaten to ‘strike for rest of year’
21 May 2025, 10:46
The union at the centre of the long-running Birmingham bin strike has accused Government commissioners of "sabotaging" talks aimed at resolving the dispute.
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It comes as bin workers said they would strike ‘for the rest of the year or as long as it takes’ to get a fair deal.
Members of Unite have been on all-out strike for more than two months in a row over pay and jobs, leading to rubbish piling up across the city.
The union began its strike on March 11 over a pay dispute, claiming that some around 150 workers will be left £8,000 worse off under council proposals to scrap the role of waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO).
The council meanwhile claims that only 17 members of staff would lose a maximum of £6,000 in pay.
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The conciliation service Acas has been involved in talks since the start of the month to break the deadlock in the negotiations, but the dispute has still not been resolved..
Unite said the talks set out a clear timeline for a discussed offer to be tabled by the council, but it claimed no offer has been made.
Commissioners were brought in by the previous Conservative government after the council declared itself effectively bankrupt in September 2023.
Unite said: "What has become increasingly clear is that the offer is now being blocked by the Government commissioners and the leader of the council, none of whom have ever been in the negotiating room.”
The union added that the ‘fair and reasonable offer’ that Keir Starmer and other Labour members have urged Unite to accept ‘did not exist’, after the party blamed bin workers in the dispute.
Unite said it has been asking for a copy of the offer since the start of the Acas talks, but is still waiting.
Bin workers in Birmingham gathered at a picket line on Wednesday, with some of them vowing to ‘strike for the rest of the year or as long as it takes to get a fair deal.’
“I don’t want to be downgraded. I can’t afford to lose the £8,000 to £10,000, so I’ve got to do it (strike)," one driver told BirminghamLive.
“I don’t want to do it and see the streets the way they are. I want to get out there and clean them - but it seems like after 20 years they have had enough of long-term staff.
“I think they want agency workers so they can hire and fire easily.
“I’m prepared to stay out for this summer or even the year. I think a lot of the lads are because we haven’t got a choice.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Unite deals with thousands of negotiations every year. From the council side, the negotiations in this dispute have been a shambles, with the Government right at the heart of it.
"The offer briefed to the press for all affected workers simply never existed and the new ballpark offer discussed at Acas has now been blocked by Government commissioners. Instead of trying to injunct picket lines and attack workers, the council leader should stop playing games, get in the room and solve this dispute.
"Birmingham City Council's bin workers, residents and the public at large have all been lied to. The bottom line is that our members can't afford to have savage pay cuts of up to £8,000 with no mitigation. Until that issue is addressed the strikes will continue.
"If Labour is truly the party for workers, how can this Government be aiding and abetting these cuts and once again allowing workers and communities to pay the price?"
Unite said in a statement: "Talks aimed at resolving the Birmingham bin strike have been sabotaged by Government commissioners."
A council spokesman said: "The council remains committed to seeking a negotiated settlement to end the dispute. Our focus has been to find a solution to this that does not put the council in a position that compromise us financially and legally.
"The leader and the commissioners are fully committed to finding a solution to this strike, and it is untrue to suggest otherwise or imply they are blocking the process. This is a service that needs to be transformed to one that citizens of Birmingham deserve."
