Why Birmingham bin workers could be on strike by Christmas

Birmingham council chiefs have vowed to press on with plans to eradicate 150 jobs inside the bins service, despite the threat of festive strikes. The controversial decision threatens to end a five year 'peace' between the waste unions and the council.

Hundreds of bin workers will be asked to vote on the industrial action threat over the next fortnight. Behind the action is the Unite union, representing around 400 waste staff. There has been no sign as yet of GMB and Unison members following suit.

At the centre of the dispute is a plan to get rid of a grade 3 role of Waste Recycling and Collections Officer (WRCO) in the service, currently held by around 150 staff. Tonight, the council cabinet member responsible for the environment, including waste services, Majid Mahmood - himself a Unite union member - said the plan was going ahead following consultation, despite objections. It could force more disruption on residents, who have raised hundreds of complaints this year about missed collections and poor service.

READ MORE: What happened the last time there was a bin strike in Birmingham

Said Cllr Mahmood: "A decision has been taken to proceed with the proposal to change to the new operating arrangements." Those arrangements include ending the WRCO role. He said: "We are now undertaking the post consultation steps to ensure all Birmingham City Council colleagues affected by the change in working arrangements are supported. There are several options that are available to suit different personal circumstances, these include opting for voluntary redundancy, promotion or redeployment. We recognise that this is an unsettling time, and we have moved quickly, to minimise this period of uncertainty for everyone."

He added: "We are committed to working with our colleagues across the service for the best outcome so that we deliver a consistent and reliable service that Birmingham residents deserve."

Around 150 staff are employed as WRCO workers, and the majority are among the longest serving and oldest bin workers, many with three decades of service. The role was created as part of the settlement agreement following the hugely disruptive 2017 bin strikes.

Bin collections across the city have been routinely affected this year, with hundreds missed or delayed, particularly in the south and east of the city. Last month, Cllr Marcus Bernasconi flagged to officers his concerns after a BirminghamLive report exposed problems inside the depots. Headlined: 'Mutiny on the bins' claim as Birmingham job loss fears and power struggle causes chaos it highlighted some of the issues.

READ MORE: Birmingham City Council 'unfairly sacked' 'whistleblower' after legal probe codenamed Stockholm

He told fellow members of the neighbourhoods scrutiny committee: "The article indicated that power struggles and fallouts at the depots were having a direct impact on the services that our residents receive. It alleged that crews were deliberately going slow to accumulate additional pay, vandalising clocking in machines and there were unauthorised absences across the service.

"Reading the piece gave me concern that we were sleepwalking into industrial action at some point in the future and that would have an impact on our ability to deliver services. Residents want guarantees that the fortnightly collections won't descend into chaos. Could officers clarify if they recognise the reports, and if actions at depots are thwarting our ability to deliver savings?"

In response, a council officer told members that consultation over the restructure of the waste service was ongoing, the relations with trade unions was 'positive, supporting and engaging'. About our article he said: "In terms of the narrative presented, I don't recognise those implications."

If action goes ahead, it would undo months of negotiations between council officers and the main workforce unions. Binmen we have spoken to say they are fed up after a difficult year, and hostility and anger is mounting. They say they have already faced changes to their pay and conditions, the loss of overtime and early start allowances, and a management clampdown on discipline. They are also fearful of more job losses ahead when the council cuts its bin collections from weekly to fortnightly, starting next year.

They also claim they are being punished for the council's failure to address equal pay. The widescale use of 'task and finish' inside the bins service, which meant bin men were paid for a full shift but allowed to knock off hours early if they raced through their rounds, and the suggestion that the WRCO role has been 'enhanced' have been been cited in equal pay claims.

Ahead of the ballot, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Birmingham council’s plans to remove a safety critical role to attack workers’ pay are abhorrent. Birmingham’s refuse workers go above and beyond and are already shouldering unfair demands for a crisis they didn’t create and shouldn’t have to pay for. They have Unite’s total backing.”

Brumwish 2024 - buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2024 is Birmingham Live's festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city - among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little.

There are THREE simple ways to help.

1. Buy a new gift from the Brumwish 2024 Amazon giftlist. In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
2. Donate money to the appeal fund hosted by Thrive Together Birmingham - this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes.
3. Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Road, B5 7QU on Friday 6th December, 10am - 3pm; Saturday 7th December, 10am - 1pm; or Monday 9th December, 10am - 1pm. Volunteers will be there to help you. Please don't wrap your gifts. You can also drop off by arrangement until Monday 16th December - contact Louise on 07469 979286.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children's centres and charities around the city.

Making up the Brumwish and Toys4Birmingham gang are Thrive Together Birmingham, Birmingham Playcare Network, Warwickshire Cricket Foundation (the charitable arm of Warwickshire County Cricket Club), Birmingham Forward Steps and BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail.

Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support.

Talks about removing the role and offering settlements, retraining as drivers, promotions and alternative jobs have been ongoing all summer and autumn, overseen by external commissioners. We understood they were proceeding amicably.

Today's announcement of a ballot is understood to have caught out some council officials and other union representatives. If members back calls for action, it would likely mean disruption through the festive season.

Separately, the council and the unions are hammering out settlements for equal pay claims, mostly from women in other departments of the council who cite they are not paid equally to their male counterparts elsewhere. An employment tribunal to consider multiple claims is planned to start next week. A new pay and conditions grading system is also being drawn up, with a deadline of April 2025.

Full council statement

Cllr Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "The consultation period with our recognised unions has come to an end and a decision has been taken to proceed with the proposal to change to the new operating arrangements. Ensuring the safety of our employees and residents is taken extremely seriously, and health and safety is everyone’s responsibility.

"We are now undertaking the post consultation steps to ensure all Birmingham City Council colleagues affected by the change in working arrangements are supported. There are several options that are available to suit different personal circumstances, these include opting for voluntary redundancy, promotion or redeployment.

"We recognise that this is an unsettling time, and we have moved quickly, to minimise this period of uncertainty for everyone. We are committed to working with our colleagues across the service for the best outcome so that we deliver a consistent and reliable service that Birmingham residents deserve.