Birmingham's 21-month bin strike could soon be over, with the council leader revealing he is waiting for "final advice" on a deal. The all-out strike across England's second city began in March 2025, initially centred on the council's decision to remove waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) roles.
Strike background and dispute
Unite The Union claimed about 170 affected workers faced losing up to £8,000 a year as a result. The council has disputed those figures. The dispute has seen litter pile up and residents reporting seeing rats.
Roger Harmer, leader of the now Liberal Democrat-run Birmingham City Council, confirmed the leadership has "worked constructively with Unite over recent months" and that an agreement is "very close".
Council awaiting final advice
"The council is awaiting final advice from its external auditors prior to taking a final decision," he said. The authority has been in a stand-off with Unite members over pay and job roles for more than 18 months.
At the start of last month, Harmer told a local radio phone-in show full of angry callers that he hoped an agreement could be signed off within weeks. Harmer, a councillor for 22 years, was elected leader of the new administration amid a promise to make solving the bin dispute his top priority.
Political criticism and assurances
The time taken to reach a deal was criticised by the Conservatives at a recent full council meeting. "So far no details have been shared or released to the public," Tory group leader Robert Alden told councillors. He sought assurances that the deal would not create new sex discrimination or equal pay liabilities for the council, an issue which has dogged previous discussions on refuse workers' pay.
Harmer replied: "Options need to be assessed by both the council's officers and also, for example, by the district auditor to make sure… that whatever solution we finally go for is sustainable and does not cause further ongoing issues for this council."
National figures weigh in
In recent weeks, Labour's new Education Secretary Lucy Powell spoke out on the Birmingham bin strike to reveal a deal was "imminent" and said the strikes should have been resolved sooner. Ms Powell said: "It’s something I’ve been closely involved in and looking at over a long period of time, in my role as the deputy leader of the Labour Party as well. I think the deal to end the strikes is imminent, it’s on the table."
"There is a broad agreement there now and we just need to get that done because it’s gone on for far too long and the residents of Birmingham are rightly fed up with not being able to recycle what they want to recycle and not having the bin service that they need. That has meant that the council has had to work closely with the workforce to make sure that the job security and the pay requirements are there for the workers as well."
