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A long-running strike by bin workers, that has left rubbish piling up on Birmingham’s streets, will continue after union members “overwhelmingly rejected” the city council’s offer in a fresh ballot.
The action by members of Unite, which began on 11 March as part of a dispute over pay, has seen thousands of tonnes of rubbish go uncollected and warnings of a public health emergency.
Hundreds of workers have been on all-out strike for a month, and residents have complained about “rats as big as cats”.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner visited Birmingham last week and called on the union to accept a “significantly improved” deal for workers.
However, the union said hundreds of its members had rejected the “totally inadequate” offer.
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What’s the impact of the bin crisis?
The offer, if it had been accepted, would have included “substantial pay cuts for workers” and “did not address potential pay cuts for 200 drivers”, according to Unite.
The latest ballot comes after previous talks failed.
Unite has been campaigning against plans to cut the post of waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) from the city’s refuse and recycling service.
The union claims it will lead to around 150 of its members having their pay cut by up to £8,000 a year.
But the council has disputed the figures, saying only 17 workers will be affected, losing far less than Unite is claiming.
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‘The bin strike has been good for us’
‘Rejection of the offer is no surprise’
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “For weeks, these workers have faced attacks from government and their employer pushing the lie that only a handful of workers are affected by the council’s plans to cut pay by up to £8,000.
“Instead of peddling untruths about these low-paid workers and focusing on winning a media war, the government should have taken the time to check facts and used its office to bring the council to the table in a meaningful way.
“The rejection of the offer is no surprise as these workers simply cannot afford to take pay cuts of this magnitude to pay the price for bad decision after bad decision.”
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It comes as the government called in military planners to help tackle the mounting piles of rubbish in Birmingham.
Amid an “ongoing public health risk” posed by the mounds of waste, the planners have been assigned to provide logistical support for a short period. The move has not involved soldiers being deployed to collect rubbish.
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Rayner urges Unite to suspend bin strikes
‘Army logistics deployed’
Ms Rayner insisted there were “no boots on the ground”.
She said “we’ve deployed a couple of army logistics to help with the logistical operation of clearing up the rubbish”.
“We’ve got over two-thirds of the rubbish cleared off the streets now, this week we’ll start to see cleaning up the pavements and streets as well as the clearance of all of that rubbish, I’m very pleased about that. The kids are off school, obviously it’s Easter holidays, we want that rubbish cleared.”
Waste collections have been disrupted since January, before the all-out strike started last month.
Birmingham City Council declared a major incident on 31 March in response to public health concerns.
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