Birmingham bin strike to continue after refuse workers reject council's offer
14 April 2025, 09:30 | Updated: 14 April 2025, 20:42
A long-running strike by bin workers, that has left rubbish piling up on Birmingham's streets, will continue after union members "overwhelmingly rejected" the city council's offer in a fresh ballot.
The action by members of Unite, which began on 11 March as part of a dispute over pay, has seen thousands of tonnes of rubbish go uncollected and warnings of a public health emergency.
Hundreds of workers have been on all-out strike for a month, and residents have complained about "rats as big as cats".
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner visited Birmingham last week and called on the union to accept a "significantly improved" deal for workers.
However, the union said hundreds of its members had rejected the "totally inadequate" offer.
The offer, if it had been accepted, would have included "substantial pay cuts for workers" and "did not address potential pay cuts for 200 drivers", according to Unite.
The latest ballot comes after previous talks failed.
Unite has been campaigning against plans to cut the post of waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) from the city's refuse and recycling service.
The union claims it will lead to around 150 of its members having their pay cut by up to £8,000 a year.
But the council has disputed the figures, saying only 17 workers will be affected, losing far less than Unite is claiming.
Local government minister Jim McMahon said the union's rejection of the pay offer will be "deeply disappointing for Birmingham residents who have already endured weeks of disruption".
"There is a fair and reasonable offer on the table and I would urge Unite to end the strikes and return to talks to reach the resolution that is fair to the workers and residents of the city," he added.
'Rejection of the offer is no surprise'
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "The rejection of the offer is no surprise as these workers simply cannot afford to take pay cuts of this magnitude to pay the price for bad decision after bad decision."
Unite national lead Onay Kasab told Sky News: "The proposal from the employers was completely and utterly inadequate. It still included a pay cut. It included a sharp cliff-edge drop in pay for our members.
"Unfortunately, the biggest thing about the proposal was what it didn't include. It didn't include the details of how and when the drivers are going to have their pay cut and what's going to be done to mitigate that. It didn't include issues around what happens if people finish their training and there are no vacancies for them.
"But what it did show up was this so-called figure of only 17 people being impacted is complete and utter nonsense. The proposal itself, that we've got in paper, impacts more than 17 people."
