Birmingham bin strikes to last until SUMMER if pay demands not met, union warns

Unite Union has warned that bin disruption could stretch into the summer after refuse workers voted to extend their strike mandate.

The escalating dispute centres on the council's use of temporary labour, which the union claims is being used to "undermine" their industrial action.

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Workers are protesting against pay cuts following the scrapping of waste collection and recycling officer roles.

Unite says its members have already voluntarily accepted cuts to pay and terms following the council's bankruptcy declaration.

The union's national lead officer, Onay Kasab, said: "The council could end this dispute tomorrow by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay.

"The council is forcing dedicated workers on to pay levels barely above the minimum wage while undertaking a difficult and highly demanding job in all weathers."

He added: "The council could easily afford this if it stopped wasting millions on expensive employment agency fees.

"Disruption to Birmingham's refuse service will further deteriorate but this is the fault of a heartless council which has slashed pay without a thought to the effect it is having on workers and their families."

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Birmingham City Council has defended its position, stating the escalation of industrial action will cause greater disruption despite making a "fair and reasonable offer" to the union.

The council claims only 40 workers are impacted by service changes.

"We have already offered alternatives, including highly valuable LGV driver training for career progression and pay, and other roles in the council equivalent to their former roles," the authority said.

"No worker will lose the sums Unite are claiming."

The council added: "Residents of Birmingham want and deserve a better waste collection service and the restructure that Unite is opposing is part of the much-needed transformation of the service."

He added: "Put your residual waste out in the wheelie bins, and it may not be collected on the day because we're being prevented from getting out the depots, but when we can, we will get there."

The council has established mobile household waste locations to help manage the situation.

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Unite regional officer Zoe Mayou has criticised the police presence at picket lines as "overkill".

Speaking at the Atlas Depot in Tyseley, she said: "The police numbers are overkill. We have two other sites with the same police presence.

"I'd be saying, what's the 999 response rate like if you have this many officers here?"

She described the picket as "legitimate" and "peaceful", questioning why so many officers were deployed.

Mayou called for "proper conversations" with the council about improving waste services.

She said: "Our doors are always open for conversations, but proper conversations and consultations about how the service looks without that being imposed from the top down."

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