Birmingham’s Labour MPs have given their seal of approval to the new interim council leader Ian Ward and backed renewed talks to end the bins dispute.
The nine MP’s issued a joint-statement following their meeting with cllr Ward on Friday - four days after the resignation of council leader John Clancy.
It was a complete change of tone from a statement they issued last week slamming the council’s poor handling of the dispute and calling for the city’s Labour councillors to get a grip on the crisis.
The new statement said: “A just settlement must be found as quickly as possible to the Birmingham bin dispute. Bin workers deserve justice on pay and our city deserves a high-quality service.
“The state of the streets is a disgrace. Following a positive meeting with Ian Ward, we welcome the council and the unions agreeing to resume negotiations under the auspices of Acas.”
Cllr Ward has also called for more positive relations with the union and staff, but stressed that any deal will have to be done within the council’s legal and financial restrictions.
The council has claimed a deal struck by former leader John Clancy had left it exposed to costly equal pay claims by other staff.
Cllr Ward said: “I am keen for the council to move on from its recent challenges and build trust and respect with the citizens of Birmingham, other councillors, officers and the trades unions.
“We need a positive working relationship with the unions to aid our future industrial relations. In relation to the dispute over refuse collection, I am making a personal commitment to find a way forward so we have a resolution to the issue.
“This will happen by working constructively through Acas to find a way forward. We have to give full regard to legal advice and be mindful of the litigation that is currently in place, but I am confident this can be done.
“Cllr Lisa Trickett, who has portfolio responsibility for waste management, has asked officers to ensure our contingency plans are robust, with timely updates for citizens.
"I also fully recognise the role MPs have in trying to do what is best for Birmingham by standing up for their constituents. We will work together to ensure the needs and wishes of citizens are paramount in everything we do.
It is also timely to remind everyone in the city that we are doing everything we can to ensure all Grade 3 Leading Hands (the binmen at risk of redundancy), are able to remain in a job with the council and there is no need for a loss of pay or grade as we have plenty of suitable alternatives roles for them to consider.
"In addition, for those Grade 3 Leading Hands who want to remain working in the waste service, there are opportunities to work as a Loader at Grade 2 and we have committed to protect their basic pay for 6 months.
"Support will be offered to enable them to move into the roles they want so they are not personally affected by our modernisation plans, part of a much more comprehensive strategy to deliver cleaner streets for Birmingham.
"I also want to reassure everyone that we will robustly monitor and manage any potential risks we might face to ensure that they do not form part of any future plans for the service."
The Unite union is callling for the council to honour the original deal struck by former council leader John Clancy in August.
