The union at the centre of Birmingham’s ongoing bins strike has brought in a top national official to take over negotiations and bring an end to the dispute.
Unite’s assistant general secretary Howard Beckett has joined the negotiating team and has invited council leader John Clancy to become personally involved.
Binmen, who have been taking industrial action since June 30, have today (Friday) increased their strike action from two to three hours a day and announced plans to continue action until September 21 unless agreement can be reached. Residents have been growing increasingly frustrated at the piles of rubbish left uncollected on city streets.
Behind the scenes there had been much concern that Unite’s experienced former regional secretary Gerard Coyne, who was dismissed in May following his failed bid to topple Len McClusky as general secretary, has not been adequately replaced.
So now Mr Beckett, who is also head of legal services at the UK’s largest trade union, is taking over talks. The council and unions remain deadlocked despite over 60 hours of negotiations on the overhaul of the bins service so far this year.
The council’s top official, chief executive Stella Manzie, has been leading their negotiating team .
Mr Beckett said: “We are making every effort to resolve this dispute and, hopefully, we can hold talks with Cllr Clancy very soon, otherwise the industrial action already planned to run up to the middle of September will escalate.
“I would also ask the Birmingham public to understand that strike action is a last resort for our members and places them in considerable financial hardship.”
“The reality is they have been left with no choice because of the regrade of their jobs and loss of income which is simply unaffordable for our members.
“If members of the public place themselves in our members’ shoes, they will know that losing thousands of pounds a year in income means missing mortgage payments, failing to keep up with their rents and not being able feed their children.
“We have legitimate safety concerns about what the council proposes and are concerned that workers on as little as £21,000-a-year could face a pay cut of up to £5,000, if they are downgraded, which is unacceptable.”
He added that the union also has suggestions to increase revenue from maximising recycling, and suggested they are willing to give ground on the swap from four to five-day working.
And said they are asking the council to lift the threat of disciplinary action against union reps following allegations staff have been encouraged to go slow even at times they are working.
“I would like to reiterate that the industrial action, being taken by our members in defence of their jobs and livelihoods, is lawful,” he added.
A city council spokeswoman said: “Positive discussions are continuing to take place with the unions and we hope to be able to resolve this sooner rather than later. This has always been about delivering a reliable, efficient and value for money waste collection services in the city.
“We continue to build on the clear-up work carried out over the weekend. Crews are focusing on the hotspot areas across the city, and so far 2,600 roads, a third of the city, have been cleared.”
