Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike?

Mountains of rubbish heaped up on pavements and street corners have become a common sight in parts of Birmingham this year as a bin strike rumbles on.

All-out strike action led to a major incident being declared in the city in March but talks remain at a stalemate between the city council and the Unite union.

The city's waste-strewn streets have led to concerns for public health and the environment and there have been queues of up to a mile at some mobile collection points as residents try to get rid of their rubbish.

But why are the strikes happening? Where can people take their rubbish in the meantime? And do residents still have to pay council tax?

The dispute initially centred on the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles.

The union claims about 170 affected workers face losing up to £8,000 a year because of the decision - but the council disputes the figures.

The local authority claims the number of staff that could lose the maximum amount (just over £6,000) is 17 people and they will have pay protection for six months.

On-and-off strike action began on 6 January with 12 walkouts planned across four months.

But the situation escalated amid union anger over an alleged move by the council to hire temporary labour to, they claimed, "undermine" the walkouts.

Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham said the apparent use of employment agencies was "disgraceful" while a council spokesperson said: "We strongly refute any suggestion that agency workers have been carrying out work normally undertaken by striking workers."

The union began an indefinite all-out strike on 11 March.

That meant the city was affected by strike action five days a week, from Monday to Friday, continuously.

Unite has increasingly also urged the council to guarantee the long-term pay for Grade 4 bin lorry drivers as part of its briefings surrounding negotiations.

The union said the WRCO role was important because it brought safety expertise to an "often dirty and dangerous job", citing the death of a Coventry bin worker last year.

Unite believes removing the role leaves the rest of the workforce "without a fair path for pay progression".

The union said it was also concerned the council was preparing to downgrade the pay of other non-management roles in the service.

The city council said the WRCO role was not industry-standard and did not exist in other councils.

A spokesperson said it was not a role that could be reinstated without opening the authority up to a potential equal pay liability.

Their change, the council said, was part of a waste collection service restructure, which aimed to improve the service and to comply with the Environmental Act 2021.

Many bin lorry drivers came out on strike alongside other refuse staff.

While the WRCO role is due to be cut after a job evaluation process, drivers' jobs have yet to go through the same system.

Unite has called on the council to guarantee the pay levels of drivers, claiming some had been told during talks that their pay was likely to be reduced from £40,000 to £32,000.

However, speaking to the BBC, council leader John Cotton said he could not make those guarantees while the wider job evaluation process was still ongoing across the local authority.

Birmingham City Council declared a major incident on 31 March.

Such a declaration is when an event or situation, with a range of serious consequences, requires special arrangements to be carried out by one or more emergency responder agency/agencies, according to the Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme.

Birmingham's move to a major incident allowed it to increase the availability of street cleansing and fly-tipping removal, with an extra 35 vehicles and crews.

The council can also work with other organisations to better manage risks such as health and fire hazards - and increase the sharing of data and intelligence.

The council said the move allowed its officers to explore what further support was available from neighbouring authorities and the government.

"Unless we declare a major incident and deploy the waste service's contingency plan, then we would be unable to clear the backlog of waste on the streets or improve the frequency of collections," council leader John Cotton said.

Several neighbouring authorities have offered help to Birmingham to clear the rubbish.

The latest talks between the two parties collapsed on 16 April and are due to resume after Easter.

In the latest ballot on 14 April, 97% of Unite members who voted rejected the latest offer from the city council.

The council previously said all staff have been offered alternative employment at the same pay and almost three-quarters had either taken up the offer or opted for voluntary redundancy.

The authority said a formal period of collective consultation began on 3 April as it looked to make compulsory redundancies for those who had declined all offers.

Responding to the latest vote, Unite said the city council's "partial" offer was "totally inadequate" and did not address the potential pay cuts for 200 drivers.

A spokesperson for the city council said the vote was "incredibly disappointing" but the authority's "door remains open".

Birmingham City Council advice to residents is to put household waste out on normal collection days.

If it is not collected, it should be left out and will be collected as soon as the authority is able.

Recycling collections have been suspended during the action so recycling bins should not be put out, the authority said.

Crews will collect "neatly-bundled" side waste. Excess waste should be put in black bags, next to household waste bins.

The council also suggested residents could take waste to one of its five Household Recycling Centres but said if that was not possible, residents should keep their recycling until the next opportunity.

Although the council will be aware of bins not being collected, a spokesperson says, there is an online system to report a missed collection.

There are five Household Recycling Centres in Birmingham where residents can take refuse and recycling.

To attend, residents must book a slot.

They are:

• Castle Bromwich, Tameside Drive - open 0700-2100 Monday to Friday, and 08:00-16:30 on weekends
• Kings Norton, Lifford Lane - open 10:00-22:00 Monday to Friday, and 08:00-18:00 on weekends
• Perry Barr, Holford Drive - open 07:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, and 08:00-18:00 on weekends
• Sutton Coldfield, Norris Way - open 07:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, and 08:00-18:00 on weekends
• Tyseley, James Road - open 07:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, and 08:00-18:00 on weekends

You can book no less than two hours before the time you would like to go to the centre and no more than three days before your visit.

You can book two visits at a time, which can be on the same day or week.

Proof of address must be shown upon arrival to confirm you live in Birmingham.

Birmingham City Council also has two Mobile Household Waste Centres (MHWCs) visiting all areas of the city.

They go to a location for the morning, from 07:30-13:00 BST.

You can dispose of household general waste and bulky items at the MHWCs.

Waste from vans is not accepted and they have to book a slot at the Household Recycling Centres.

You can visit an MHWC as many times as you like. You do not need to book, bring ID or pay for the service.

The council updates the locations on its website.

Items accepted at MHWCs include household rubbish that cannot be reused and bulky items like toys, furniture and wood.

You are not permitted to take building materials, like rubble or bricks, and white goods such as fridges and washing machines.

Large items like garage doors or tree stumps, hazardous materials - including asbestos and gas cylinders - and wheeled bins are also not permitted.

You can find out how to recycle specific materials via this link.

Some residents who have paid thousands to hire skips to dispose of rubbish said they believed they should get a council tax rebate.

"It is a legal responsibility to pay council tax and we urge people to continue doing this," the city council said.

Tony Travers, a local government expert from the London School of Economics, said while refuse collection was important, it was one of a large number of services provided by the authority and the others were still being provided.

He added: "It's not lawful for people to withhold payments to the council for council tax. They are required by law to pay."

Those who have paid for a 2025 garden waste subscription service will be refunded automatically.

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