Bin workers will be balloted on a new deal to end the strike in Birmingham, although Unite has attacked the government and council’s approach to the dispute as a “disgrace”.
Unite, whose bin worker members in the city have been on strike since last month, criticised the government for “constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers”, which it called “frankly a disgrace”.
The union revealed that workers would be balloted on Monday on a new deal, which the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, has urged them to accept.
Birmingham has seen 17,000 tonnes of rubbish piled up in the streets since the industrial action started intermittently in January and progressed to an all-out strike in March.
The dispute is over council plans to scrap the higher-paid waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) role from its fleets, because the council says it risks creating a “huge future equal-pay liability”.
Birmingham city council in effect declared bankruptcy in 2023, largely due to an equal-pay bill. The union says the removal of the WRCO role means pay cuts of thousands for those affected and that it was “the first step in a broader campaign of attacks against pay and terms and conditions” for bin workers.
Rayner, who is also the communities secretary, said she wanted to see “a fair resolution to this” and added: “I would urge Unite to suspend the action and accept the improved deal.” She said the council had “moved significantly to meet the demands of the workers so we can see an end to this dispute”.
She said the backlog “must be dealt with quickly to address public health risks”.
Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said: “Of course, these workers are in the driving seat around what they wish to accept. Indeed, there is another ballot happening by close of play on Monday. Unite backs these workers 100%.”
She added: “Rather than vilifying their low-paid employees, the council should look seriously at the KC-approved offer that Unite has put forward, which deals with the issues and gives these workers and their families dignity and security.
“A notable point was made by one of our members, which Unite believes sums up where we are with this council and could be with others: ‘The council are saying that we should share the pain but not one councillor, including the leader of the council, has been asked to give up a quarter of their pay. We thought when Labour came in they would stop what was happening, we were wrong.’”
Graham said there was only a partial deal on pay protection for a few, which still leaves workers worrying about how they are going to pay their mortgages and rent payments in a few months’ time. “For the drivers, they are still unaware what their drop in pay will be but the council have mooted that this could also be around £8,000,” she said.
