{"id":105940,"date":"2025-03-12T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=105940"},"modified":"2025-03-12T13:02:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:02:11","slug":"bin-strike-begins-birmingham-workers-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/bin-strike-begins-birmingham-workers-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Bin Strike Begins in Birmingham as Workers and Council Clash Over Job Cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Birmingham bin strike has escalated into an indefinite all-out strike, with refuse workers walking off the job, leading to rubbish piling up across the city and growing concerns among residents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/mar\/11\/bin-strike-birmingham-rubbish-workers-council\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2025\/mar\/11\/bin-strike-birmingham-rubbish-workers-council\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Guardian<\/a><\/em>, the dispute stems from the removal of a specific waste collection role, which workers and their union argue is essential for safety and fair pay. The Birmingham City Council, however, maintains that the position is not critical, further deepening the standoff between both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strike Begins Amid Ongoing Dispute<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearly <strong>400 bin workers<\/strong> began an all-out strike at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, marking an escalation from intermittent strikes that had been ongoing since January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dispute revolves around the removal of the \u201cwaste recycling and collection officer\u201d role, which has been scrapped as part of the council\u2019s restructuring efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The union Unite argues that this position is \u201csafety-critical\u201d and its removal will result in some workers losing up to \u00a38,000 per year. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.birmingham.gov.uk\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.birmingham.gov.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Birmingham City Council<\/a><\/strong>, however, disputes this claim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Craig Cooper, the council\u2019s strategic director of operations, stated that the role was \u201cnot critical to health and safety\u201d, arguing that responsibility for safety is shared among all workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tensions are high between both parties. Cooper accused the union of holding the city hostage, saying : <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>I feel that they are holding us and our residents hostage. We recognise we need to create a modern, sustainable and reliable service<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Unite has rejected this claim, with Zoe Mayou, a regional officer for the union, arguing that it is the council, not the workers, that is obstructing negotiations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>They know what we want. They are the ones holding the city to ransom \u2013 certainly not us<\/em> &#8211; she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overflowing Bins and Health Concerns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The impact of the bin strike is already visible across Birmingham, with reports of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/four-week-bin-collections-households-waste\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"104213\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">overflowing bins<\/a>, increasing rat infestations, and strong odors in various neighborhoods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Residents have expressed frustration, with some stating that bins have not been collected for weeks, raising concerns about public health risks and worsening sanitation conditions as the industrial action continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk\/officers\/f-7bMrpJhcIghk3QzgUdLWrHStA\/appointments\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk\/officers\/f-7bMrpJhcIghk3QzgUdLWrHStA\/appointments\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mahmoud Barreh<\/a>, a resident of Balsall Heath, voiced concerns about the sanitary conditions, calling the situation worse than the bin strikes of 2017. He also criticized the council for failing to fulfill its responsibilities despite the high council tax rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Council\u2019s Response and Use of Agency Workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Birmingham City Council has insisted that it is trying to resolve the issue but accuses Unite of being unwilling to negotiate. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birmingham.gov.uk\/news\/article\/1304\/new_strategic_director_of_city_operations_is_named\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.birmingham.gov.uk\/news\/article\/1304\/new_strategic_director_of_city_operations_is_named\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Craig Cooper<\/a> stated that the council was working to maintain some level of collection services despite the ongoing bin strike, which has severely impacted waste management across the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To mitigate the impact, the council has deployed agency workers, which has led to further tensions. Unite condemned this move, calling it an attempt to undermine the strike. Unite general secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/sharongraham.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/sharongraham.org\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sharon Graham<\/a> called it a \u201cdisgraceful use of unlawful labour\u201d, stating that it had &#8220;just resulted in industrial action escalating&#8221;. She added: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>The only way this dispute will end is by halting the brutal and unnecessary attacks on our members\u2019 pay.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Police were called to oversee the deployment of agency workers, prompting further outcry from the union. Mayou criticized the police presence at picket lines as excessive, stating :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p> <em>We\u2019re doing a legitimate picket line, and the amount of police here is just unbelievable.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Financial Struggles of the Council<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The strike comes at a challenging time for Birmingham City Council, which declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023. The local government is under financial oversight from government-appointed commissioners and has been implementing <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/dwp-scrutiny-legal-costs-disability-benefits\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"103602\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cost-cutting measures<\/a>, including job cuts and asset sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This financial backdrop is a key point in the dispute, with the union arguing that cuts to waste services will not only affect workers but also the efficiency and safety of bin collections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Wider Debate on Waste Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The strike in Birmingham is unfolding against the backdrop of broader discussions on waste collection policies in other UK cities. In Bristol, for example, officials considered a plan to shift to four-weekly bin collections instead of the current fortnightly schedule in an effort to save \u00a32 million per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the idea was met with strong public opposition, and Green Party councillor Martin Fodor confirmed that the proposal was abandoned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>The four-weekly option was put in the consultation as an outlier for modelling purposes, and I made clear it was always unlikely to go ahead,<\/em> &#8211; he stated<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He further added that the issue would be discussed by a <strong>cross-party group<\/strong> to determine the next steps for waste management in the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Birmingham bin strike has brought waste collection to a standstill, with rubbish piling up across the city and growing concerns over hygiene. As workers and the city council remain locked in dispute, residents face increasing delays and worsening sanitary conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":105942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105940"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105947,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105940\/revisions\/105947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}