Disclaimer: We don’t want to write about rats and bins in Brum but, sadly, until the longstanding industrial dispute ends, it’s all anyone outside this city is talking about.
Striking bin workers today rejected the council’s “totally inadequate” offer, “which still includes substantial pay cuts for workers.” See the full statement from the Unite union below.
John Cotton, leader of the council, said: “We have made a fair and reasonable offer that means that no-one has to lose any pay at all.”
Viewpoint: The sooner a deal is struck by the council and the unions, the better. This story has been running in the national media for weeks. And it’s making Brum look ridiculous.
Social media fail
Birmingham City Council posted on X (Twitter) over the weekend in the hope of, presumably, reassuring Brummies it was on the case sorting things: “Our crews have now collected over 11,000 tonnes of rubbish – roughly equivalent to 1,000 killer whales!”
Unfortunately, this well-intended message had the opposite effect.
Last week, as it enacted emergency powers to deploy agency bin workers, the council said around 17,000 tonnes lay uncollected on Birmingham’s streets.
So, its X post simply drew attention to the fact 6,000 tonnes is still lying there beside the thousands more tonnes put out by folks in the past week.
Just to prove it wasn’t a slip of a comms team member’s smartphone, the authority clarified in a press release on its website that since April 4 it had “collected 11,588 tonnes of waste.”
Full statement from Unite union on April 14
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “For weeks, these workers have faced attacks from government and their employer pushing the lie that only a handful of workers are affected by the council’s plans to cut pay by up to £8,000.
“Instead of peddling untruths about these low paid workers and focusing on winning a media war, the government should have taken the time to check facts and used its office to bring the council to the table in a meaningful way.
“The rejection of the offer is no surprise as these workers simply cannot afford to take pay cuts of this magnitude to pay the price for bad decision after bad decision.
“From the start, the council has constantly moved the goalposts for these workers, prolonging the strikes in the process. First it was equal pay, then it was about improving the waste service, then cost cutting. The list goes on.
“Unite has set out simple and reasonable steps to the council to resolve these issues. It is important to remember that this dispute is not about a pay rise it is about preventing serious pay cuts.
“The government must now call a meeting with the stakeholders to ensure these steps are taken to bring the strike to an end.
“The government must now also urgently consider Unite’s proposal for debt restructure at Birmingham City Council and other local authorities. Workers and communities cannot continue to pay the price.”
