Birmingham bins dispute gets messy as warring factions dig in
rated – the row became very public and culminated in a further letter in which the council appeared to be taking an even harder line.
By taking partial strike action and working to rule – ie returning to depots for tea breaks and a ban on overtime – the workers manage to keep a large chunk of their pay while causing a high degree of disruption. The backlog will never be cleared at this rate.
So the council’s letter, this time to union bosses, alleges that staff have gone beyond the agreed industrial action to cause even more disruption and is warning they could be disciplined or lose further pay.
There are also claims of intimidation and bullying of non-striking staff.
Meanwhile, as if primed to further enrage the unions, the council has announced it will be bringing in private contractors, working at weekends and evenings to get around strike protocols, to clear the backlog.
This will be music to the ears of many frustrated residents who feared that there was no backup plan and no end in sight. When talks resume they are likely to be frosty, but with all the nasty stuff out of the way perhaps they will finally get somewhere.
AS it involves a Labour-run council and the party’s biggest donor union, Unite, this industrial dispute has inevitably become entangled with party political considerations and the ongoing wider battle for the soul of the Labour movement.
Rumours abound about the wider context – for example is it better for appearances if Labour’s biggest council is seen to crush a Unite workforce or roll over for them?
Will councillors who argue with Len McKClusky’s union be punished by his pal Jeremy Corbyn – or will the union be urged to back down for the good of the party?
And with selections of council candidates due in the coming weeks, will there be any fall-out from being on the ‘wrong’ side in the dispute.
One of the strongest rumours is that Unite is suffering from the dismissal of its experienced regional secretary Gerard Coyne earlier this year.
Coyne was of course the unsuccessful challenger to McClusky in the leadership election during which there was all manner of bad blood.
By taking partial strike action the workers manage to keep a large chunk of their pay while causing a high degree of disruption
Those with long memories will recall Coyne being at the heart of negotiations over the 2011 dispute in which equal pay considerations had to be balanced with the prospect of loss of pay for staff.
Both council bosses and union sources have told me his absence is a big loss.
THE are few heroes in this dispute but a little bird has suggested that if anyone deserves the accolade it is a person called Ashleigh who runs the council’s Twitter account (@BCC_ help).
This poor staffer is, under public glare, bearing the brunt of frustration from citizens about the piles of uncollected bags and overstuffed wheelie bins.
But she handles them all with good grace, manners and respect, plus a little guidance to steer their complaint in the right direction.