Bin workers protest outside home secretary's office

Members of the Unite union are calling for talks with the council to restart, almost seven months into full strikes

Striking bin workers in Birmingham have staged a demonstration outside the constituency office of the home secretary and local MP Shabana Mahmood.

Members of the Unite union have been taking part in full strikes for almost seven months, in a dispute over pay and the loss of some posts.

Speaking at the protest, Matthew Reid, a union rep and bin worker of 20 years, questioned the council and government's commitment to resolving the stand-off.

A spokesperson for the local authority said while they were "disappointed the dispute has not been resolved as Unite has rejected all our offers, we are continuing to make regular waste collections as we prepare to implement the new and improved service".

Birmingham City Council walked away from negotiations in July saying it could not improve its offer, partly due to fears it could open itself up to more equal pay claims.

Last month, union members voted to extend strike action until March 2026.

Matthew Reid has been a bin worker for 20 years

Mr Reid said the strikes were having an impact and questioned suggestions that rubbish was no longer piling up on streets, as was widely reported at the start of the industrial action.

"In the inner city areas, there is still lots of rubbish about, and the citizens of Birmingham are not happy about it," he said.

Mr Reid urged the government to take action for "working people" and reduce "the high rates" councils are paying on their debts, so authorities would not need to make as many cuts.

While waste collections in recent months have seen similar amounts of rubbish collected as before the strike, recycling rates have plummeted.

According to a BBC Freedom of Information request, the amount of recycling collected has fallen from 13,886 tonnes between March and July 2024 to 179 tonnes in the same period this year.

The amount being taken to recycling centres is also down - from 12,979 tonnes in 2024 to 8,801 tonnes this year - a 32% drop.

At the same time there have also been reports of an increase in fly-tipping.

Recycling rates in Birmingham have traditionally been among the worst in the country. Last year a little over 22% of rubbish in Birmingham was recycled, compared with an England average of 44% in 2023-24.

The local authority has said the restructuring of its waste services was designed to tackle this and improve recycling rates.

"This is a service that has not been good enough for too long so it needs to be transformed to one that citizens of Birmingham deserve - we cannot delay this any longer," a spokesperson has said.

"Although the industrial action continues, our contingency plan is working and we are collecting household waste as scheduled. Our new fleet of vehicles is now fully operational and making collections across the city.

"We have been collecting an average of approximately 1,330 tonnes of kerbside waste every day, more than we did prior to industrial action, and over the last six months we have collected over 100,000 tonnes of kerbside waste.

"There has been a 22% increase in tonnage of waste collected per employee and a 52% improvement regarding missed collections.

"We want to see this dispute end - we understand residents' frustration and appreciate their patience over the last few months."

The strikes started in March, although Unite members have been involved in on-off action since January over the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles, which the union said would cost about 170 workers up to £8,000 a year.

The council has challenged those figures, and said 17 people could lose just over £6,000 annually, but they would have pay protection for six months.

Bin lorry drivers have also been drawn into the dispute, with the union previously calling on the local authority to guarantee their pay in the long-term.

The government has previously called on the Unite union to suspend the strike and work with Birmingham City Council to find a resolution.

Labour MP Shabana Mahmood's office has also been contacted for comment.