Union chiefs and Birmingham City Council are said to be meeting this afternoon in hope of bringing an end to the city’s bin strikes. More than 300 Unite members who work as refuse collectors in Birmingham went on strike from today, January 6, in the first of 12 days of industrial action.
Around 350 workers and Unite members voted for the industrial action in December over what the union describes as an attack on pay and working conditions by Birmingham City Council. Refuse collectors took to the picket line at 6am this morning in Kings Norton.
Cheers could be heard as workers at the Lifford Lane depot chanted ‘Unite, unite, we stand and we fight’ as cars hit their horns. Regional Unite boss Zoe Mayou confirmed to our reporter this morning that a dispute resolution meeting is taking place with the council this afternoon. BirminghamLive put this to Birmingham City Council, who referred us to their original statement.
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Zoe Mayou, Unite regional officer said: ”It’s a very good turnout. It’s the same at the other depots, about 370 members have come out and we’re getting new members join all the time.
“We are talking to the council but we are not sure if we are talking to the right decision makers.” She added: “I never expected anything less from our membership they had a strong ethos that they were going to take strike action and they’re here. They’re used to working in these weathers of course.”
On why bin men are striking, Ms Mayou explained: “It’s about the removal of a role that we believe is safety critical, a review of making sure that a role that replaces it is correctly done.”
Birmingham bin workers go on strike today with “huge disruption” expected across the city on the first of 12 strike days. Pictured: Picket line at Lifford Lane depot Kings Norton.
(Image: Birmingham Live)
The role Ms Mayou is referring to is the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, which the union says is vital for the safety of workers and the public. The union claims the decision to cut the WRCO role affects 150 workers who face losing £8,000 a year. They added that the cut could also reduce future pension payments.
In its most recent statement, Birmingham City Council has insisted that it takes safety “extremely seriously.” Council chiefs added that they were “continuing to work through the dispute resolution procedure.” You can read more from Birmingham City Council, here.
Regarding ongoing negotiations with the council, Ms Mayou explained: “We have a meeting [with the council] this afternoon, I am hoping that goes well but am I speaking to the person making decisions? I don’t know.”
She confirmed there are 11 more strike days to come and added: “I would like to reassure the public that a lot of people here live in Birmingham, they are affected too.
“We don’t want to be here the council has made us come here, we do strike action as a last resort.”