Bin collections across Birmingham have been brought to a complete standstill today after coordinated strike action and mass protests by workers. Both agency staff from Job & Talent and directly employed council workers have joined forces in what unions describe as "mass pickets", crippling the city's waste service.
Depots Brought to a Halt by Unified Action
The industrial action took hold at three key depots from the early hours of Monday, December 1. Workers gathered at the Smithfield Depot on Sherlock Street from 8.30am, with further protests at the Atlas bin depot in Tyseley and the Perry Barr depot on Holford Drive. The scale of the disruption forced Birmingham City Council to announce a full suspension of services for the day.
In a statement posted on X, the council said: "Due to expected mass pickets and protests across our waste depots we have taken the decision to suspend collections today. We apologise for the inconvenience. Collections will resume tomorrow. We aim to complete all collections by Sunday. Please leave your bin out as normal."
Allegations of Bullying and a Toxic Culture
The dispute has been brewing for weeks, with agency workers employed via Job & Talent voting for strike action after raising serious grievances. They allege a workplace culture of "bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting". These claims were bolstered when a manager was filmed telling workers that council chiefs would prevent them from securing permanent roles if they refused to cross picket lines.
Further accusations centre on the council's practice of "ranking" the driving performances of agency staff in a "league table" displayed on a staff room wall at the Smithfield depot. The union Unite states that unsustainable workloads and this toxic environment have led to a growing number of agency staff refusing to cross the picket lines in solidarity.
Union and Council at Loggerheads
Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, placed the blame squarely on the council's leadership. "Birmingham Council will only resolve this dispute when it stops the appalling treatment of its workforce," she stated. "Agency workers have now joined with directly employed staff to stand up against the massive injustices done to them."
She urged the council to return to negotiations with a fair offer, warning that "strikes will not end until it does." In response, a council spokesperson expressed disappointment that the dispute remained unresolved, characterising it as a separate issue between a "small number of agency staff" and Job & Talent.
The spokesperson added that contingency plans were in place to maintain a minimum of one collection per week for residents, while the council continues with "service improvements that are long overdue." Meanwhile, Job & Talent informed its staff that they would receive usual pay for Monday and should return to work as normal on Tuesday.
