Refuse workers are poised to hold Birmingham-style bin strikes “up and down the country” as cash-strapped councils continue to make cuts, union leaders are warning ministers.
Clare Keogh, national officer for local government at Unite, told The i Paper that members were angry at how the dispute in the Midlands city is playing out and that there is “massive potential this will escalate”.
Around 400 workers at Birmingham City Council have been on an all-out strike for more than a month in a row over pay and conditions.
The authority has declared a major incident with at least 17,000 tonnes of rubbish lying uncollected on the streets.
At least 17,000 tonnes of rubbish has gone uncollected in rubbish due to the strike by refuse workers (Photo: Jacob King/PA Wire)The crisis has led to a steep increase in rat infestations with one pest control boss telling The i Paper he is encountering rodents as big as dogs and that he has never been busier.
Now there are warnings that bin strikes could flare up in other areas. Another strike involving Unite refuse workers, which has led to recycling sites being closed, continues in Sheffield and Ms Keogh said more ballots for strike action in other areas were currently being considered.
Meanwhile a second union representing bin collectors, the GMB, has also suggested strikes could be on the way. Refuse workers are among members to have voted in favour of industrial action in Peterborough, where a latest pay offer was rejected in February.
“In Birmingham, and many other councils we’ve seen over the last few years, our members have been prepared to walk out saying ‘this just isn’t good enough and we’re not going to take any more cuts’,” Ms Keogh said.
M ore ballots for strike action in other areas were currently being considered (Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)“Or ‘we’re not going to take poor shoddy vehicles that put our health and safety at risk’, or ‘we’re not going to take poor sick pay or leave entitlement’.
“That anger is growing and we’re seeing that in the increasing number of strike ballots that we’re taking forward.
“I think if the Government doesn’t get a grip on it that will definitely escalate.”
Downing Street intervention
On Friday No 10 intervened to call on the union to end the Birmingham strike. A spokesperson said: “Unite need to focus on negotiating in good faith, drop their opposition to changes needed to resolve long-standing equal pay issues, and get round the table with the council.”
But Unite, one of the largest unions in the country with more than 1.2 million members, is showing no signs of backing down with general secretary Sharon Graham telling the Labour government it cannot “sit on its hands saying nothing to do with us.”
Local authorities’ deteriorating financial situations is likely to increase the chances of more bin collection strikes.
Birmingham, the largest council in the UK, is currently under the direction of government-appointed commissioners after serving a section 114 notice of effective bankruptcy in 2023.
Nearly half of all councils could also fall into bankruptcy by next year, according to the National Audit Office, after years of underfunding and escalating costs.
Councils that have issued warnings of a potential section 114 notice in the past 12 months include Warrington, North Somerset, Cheshire East, Dudley and Kirklees.
“Our members across the country are facing the very same issues and that’s the point,” said Ms Keogh. “Yes our members are very angry about the situation is being handled in Birmingham, but they are looking at their own workplaces and seeing the same problems there
“Given the number of councils at risk of Section 114 notices now, the massive funding gap in the sector, our members will be looking at that and saying ‘absolutely we could be next’.
“I think that’s why you will see potentially additional ballots and additional strike action.”
‘Real-terms’ pay cuts could spark strikes
Unions recently submitted pay claims for local government workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the next financial year and are expecting a response soon, potentially before the end of April. Pay talks are continuing in Scotland.
Ms Keogh said if members were offered a “real-terms pay cut” there is a “high likelihood” of further ballots for strike action.
“The Government cannot ignore the crisis – and it is a crisis – that the local government sector is in,” she added.
“We’ve had 15 years of austerity, the sector is on its knees, we’ve had little pockets of support since the new Government came in.
“But I’m just not seeing them talk openly or seriously enough about what needs to be done and the reality is the sector needs a massive increase in funding.
‘Money has to be spent’
“We’re not going to have these public services that we need unless we’re honest and accept that money has to be spent.
“It’s down to the Government, the Government has to do that and it has to take responsibility for it.”
GMB held 100 days of refuse worker strikes during 2022, winning large pay increases at dozens of councils.
GMB and Unison won an equal pay dispute with Birmingham in 2024 which left the council with large financial liabilities that have been linked to the current bin strike, although Unite insist the two issues are separate.
A spokesperson for the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The waste dispute in Birmingham is causing misery and disruption to residents which is why we are pressing for an immediate agreement to be made, and for all parties to redouble efforts to get around the table.
“It is right that this continues to be a locally led response, but we are monitoring closely.
“At the same time, we are making available £69 billion to council budgets across England, reforming the funding system and bringing forward the first multi-year funding settlement in a decade.”
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon, met with Birmingham council leaders and commissioners on Friday.
He said: “Residents want this rubbish dealt with as soon as possible and I have made it clear in today’s meeting that we’re ready to support to improve conditions on the ground.
“It is in the interest of all parties, and most importantly Birmingham’s residents, that this strike must be brought to a close with all parties redoubling efforts to get around the table and to find a resolution.” ”
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