City’s bin workers back on picket lines after ‘provocative’ redundancy notices
BIN workers in Birmingham are back on strike after the city council decided to begin issuing redundancy notices.
Trade union Unite warned on Thursday night that Birmingham City Council’s latest move was a “provocative act” after the sides initially struck a deal to avoid continuing industrial action.
But the city is again in the grip of strikes, as waste collection workers returned to the picket lines yesterday morning.
The union has signalled the fresh walk-outs could continue until New Year if a new deal cannot be struck with City Hall over local authority plans to shake up bin collection services.
Many city streets and paths are still clogged with piles of black bags from over-flowing wheelie bins after recent strike action.
Seven weeks of strikes ended on August 16, after a deal between the union and city council at conciliation service Acas.
However, a crunch meeting for leading councillors to discuss those measures was cancelled at the 11th hour yesterday.
Instead, in a statement on Thursday evening, the council said it would press on with issuing redundancy notices for some Grade 3 refuse workers, starting yesterday.
A spokesman said the local authority wanted to “continue its ongoing discussion with the trade union through Acas in parallel with seeking alternative jobs” for those staff issued with redundancy notices.