'Striking bin workers may face compulsory redundancy' - new ultimatum divides Brummies

Despite rubbish piling up across the city and growing fears over rats, the dispute between the council and Unite the union has yet to be resolved.

The bins strike, which started in January, was triggered by the council’s intention to scrap the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role as part of plans to transform the service.

The council provided an update on its negotiations with Unite this week, saying striking bin workers who have “declined all offers on the table” may face compulsory redundancy.

“It is regrettable that it has come to this, the council has consistently tried to find a solution to the industrial action,” a spokesperson for the authority said. “We have made a very fair offer which means that no worker need lose any money – that offer remains open.

“We confirm that regrettably we have informed Unite representatives that next week we will formally notify and enter a period of collective consultation regarding compulsory redundancies for those who have declined all offers on the table.”

They added: “This is about securing a better waste service for the people of Birmingham.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham responded by saying the council had tried to “smear Birmingham refuse workers with totally baseless accusations of threats and intimidation on peaceful picket lines.”

“But the only threats and intimidation have come from the council itself,” she continued. “The council’s behaviour is absolutely disgusting.

“Bully boy tactics are just making this dispute worse – our members will not back down and neither will Unite.”

Several readers remain on the side of the striking bin workers, with some also criticising the council and its leadership who have recently faced calls to resign.

“I’m still with our hardworking people who are on strike,” Ryan Yates wrote. 

“It’s inconvenient but I’ll support our bin men to the bitter end. They do a job that not many of us would do, get up in the middle of the night in winter to get rid of our rubbish.”

Caroline Palmer said: “The council are at fault, not the bin men. They do a brilliant job and we can see how lost we are without them.

“The ones who collect my rubbish are always friendly and helpful.”

She continued: “I don’t blame them for striking. It’s an inconvenience but the council have no plan how to solve this, neither are they helping with the rubbish problem.”

David Fox responded by saying it was “unfair” and pointed out that the council had “messed up” with the Perry Barr and equal pay debacles.

Another reader added: “The way the council is treating its employees is absolutely disgraceful.”

Others are on the other side of the debate however, with some questioning the union’s actions.

“Councillors have put loads of offers on the table but the union are not budging,” Sonia Nawaz said. “I was team bin men last strike because they deserved a raise but not this time.”

Md Shakib Hossain said about the ultimatum: “That’s a good decision because the city is full of garbage. There must be some other way to protest.”

One reader wrote: “You can’t have unions holding the city and residents to ransom for weeks on end especially when health and hygiene is at stake.”

“The Union are at fault – instead of helping the situation they’ve made it worse,” Mohammed Nassar said. 

"They got a good deal, and still they wanna behave like this. I get it but there are people out there looking for a job and they would gladly take it.”

“About time,” Bronwyn Wilson-Sidwell said in response to the council’s latest update. “This can’t keep going on and the bin men are refusing to compromise and the council is bankrupt.”

Unite has described the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, which is at the centre of the dispute, as “safety-critical”.

Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab also said previously: “The council is forcing dedicated workers onto pay levels barely above the minimum wage while undertaking a difficult and highly demanding job in all weathers.”

But Councillor Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment, said this week the council had made a “fair and reasonable offer”.

“Not a single worker needs to lose a penny,” he said. “Every worker has been offered the same grade and the same pay within the street scene division of the city council.

“We’re here because we are trying to transform and modernise the service.”

He went on to claim that “caving in to the demands of Unite” could mean a potential risk of a “huge equal pay liability”.

Coun Mahmood added that was a risk the council “simply cannot afford to take”.

The council previously said that its routes and working practices were fully risk-assessed and that health and safety was “everyone’s responsibility”.