Birmingham Refuse Workers (UNITE) Strike Calendar
Strike Type: Council
Latest Birmingham Refuse Workers Industrial Action Updates (5)
The Birmingham council statement today by leader John Cotton - in relation to an improved offer based on the “ballpark” deal agreed at the conciliation service Acas and blocked by government commissioners – is a vindication of the bin workers’ struggle for a decent deal following their job evaluation regrading. This move shows the power of workers and how that can be realised when they are backed by their union.
It is an absolute abhorrence that this deal has been blocked not just once but twice by unelected unaccountable commissioners and officers at Birmingham City Council, who enjoy eye watering pay packets and no consequence for their actions. The commissioner model is a licence for a few unelected individuals to print money and play games. The reason the offer has not yet been completed and gone to our members is because at the eleventh hour the government backed commissioners attempted to stop it, which has led to today’s statement of intent by the leader of the council.
Negotiations took place over the last few months to get the original Acas deal back on track, between: Sharon Graham general secretary of Unite, John Cotton leader of the council, Richard Parker mayor of West Midlands, facilitated by Lord Brendan Barber. The roles played by mayor Parker and Lord Barber should be recognised as they very quickly saw that the deal was both reasonable and doable. But ultimately it was the resolve of striking workers and their union that has got this ballpark deal back on the table. The full details of the deal will remain confidential awaiting the detailed offer from the council and it will have to be voted on by the bin workers.
Striking Birmingham bin workers have voted to extend their industrial action mandate past local elections in May and into September, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today. Council refuse workers are striking because Birmingham city council has fired and rehired both loaders (former WRCOs) and drivers onto contracts that reduce pay by up to £8,000.
Job & Talent agency refuse workers are striking over bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting at the council’s refuse department.
In an unprecedented development, the workers who are directly employed by Birmingham council, will now be joined on picket lines by agency workers employed by Job & Talent on the refuse contract. A growing number of Job & Talent agency staff have been refusing to cross picket lines due to unsustainable workloads and the toxic and bullying workplace culture at the council’s refuse department. By voting for industrial action they will now be able to join official picket lines from Monday 1 December
Striking Birmingham bin workers have today rejected the council’s ‘totally inadequate’ offer. Hundreds of workers, members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, voted overwhelmingly to reject the deal, which still includes substantial pay cuts for workers. The offer also did not address potential pay cuts for 200 drivers.
Strikes by more than 350 Birmingham bin workers will intensify from Tuesday, Unite, the UK’s leading union, announced today. The dispute was sparked by the council’s decision to abolish the safety critical Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, resulting in pay cuts of up £8,000 for 150 workers. Birmingham’s refuse staff believe the scrapping of the WRCO role is the first step in a broader campaign of cuts across a service that is already on its knees.
Birmingham Refuse Workers Strike Calendar
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