Birmingham bin strikes to escalate from today
It's as Unite the Union says the scrapping of a safety critical role will result in pay cuts of up £8,000 for 150 workers.
Last updated 4th Feb 2025
Strikes by more than 350 Birmingham bin workers are intensifying from today, with hundreds of staff members walking out for 25 days over the next two months, instead of eights days, which was the original plan.
The dispute was sparked by the council’s decision to abolish the safety critical Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role.
Unite the Union says it will result in pay cuts of up £8,000 for 150 workers.
As a result, strike action has increased from four to 12 days in February and four to 13 days in March.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “There is no justification for such huge pay cuts to workers’ wages. Birmingham council cannot just ignore this situation and hope that it will go away. It is a line in the sand for our members, who know more attacks will follow if they don’t fight back. Unite is with them 100 per cent.”
Unite regional officer Zoe Mayou said: “Unite’s door remains open to meaningful discussions with the council to resolving this dispute. It is the council that bears the responsibility for it escalating. Its behaviour towards its directly employed staff is vindictive and does nothing to solve the operational problems that are staring it in the face.”
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “We are disappointed that this action is taking place, but we are continuing to work through the dispute resolution procedure. We would like to assure residents that we will do all we can to minimise disruption during any potential industrial action.
“We thank residents for their understanding and patience during this challenging period and assure everyone that we are committed to resolving the situation in the best interest of all parties involved. Up-to-date information will be provided via our website, social media and encourage residents to sign up to bin collection newsletter.
“Ensuring the safety of our employees and residents is taken extremely seriously, and health and safety is everyone’s responsibility. We have undertaken steps to ensure Birmingham City Council colleagues affected by the change in working arrangements are supported. There are several options that are available to suit different personal circumstances, and of the 170 affected employees, over 130 have already opted for redeployment, driver training or voluntary redundancy.
"We have moved quickly to minimise this period of uncertainty for everyone. We are committed to working with our colleagues across the service for the best outcome so that we deliver a consistent and reliable service that Birmingham residents deserve.”
We have contacted the Department for Housing, Communities, and Local Government for a comment.