Bin collections across Birmingham have been brought to a halt after agency workers joined council employees on strike, escalating a long-running industrial dispute.
Strike action intensifies with new allegations
The ongoing all-out strike by Birmingham City Council's bin workers, which began in March, has now been bolstered by agency staff originally hired to help clear the backlog. The workers, organised by the Unite trade union, are in dispute with the council over pay and job security.
Union officials have made serious allegations against council management, claiming agency staff faced 'bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting'. Unite asserts that a manager was recorded telling workers that council chiefs would prevent them from securing permanent positions if they refused to cross the picket lines.
Council response and growing piles of rubbish
Birmingham City Council confirmed it suspended all bin collections on Monday, December 1, citing expected mass pickets. The council stated it hopes to resume services on Tuesday. Pickets have been established outside three key depots: Smithfield, Atlas, and Perry Barr.
As a direct result of the suspended service, bags of rubbish have begun accumulating in streets across the city. Pest control companies report a significant increase in their workload, with one noting a 50% rise in callouts since the dispute started earlier this year.
Union and council at loggerheads
Unite's General Secretary, Sharon Graham, accused the council of 'appalling treatment' of its workforce. She highlighted a controversial league table allegedly created by management to rank the driving performance of agency workers.
In a statement, Birmingham City Council acknowledged a separate dispute with a small number of agency staff. It emphasised it has contingency plans to maintain a minimum of one collection per week and expressed disappointment that the issue remains unresolved. The council reiterated its commitment to making long-overdue improvements to the waste collection service for residents.
The union remains firm, stating the dispute will only end when the council ceases its confrontational approach and presents a fair deal for all bin workers, both permanent and agency staff.
