Collections suspended as agency workers join bin strike

Unite said 18 out of 22 agency staff who were members had voted to strike from 1 December

Monday's bin collections were called off as agency workers joined refuse strikers on picket lines in Birmingham amid a separate dispute.

Unite said the Job&Talent recruitment agency workers had voted in favour of strike action "over bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting at the council's refuse department two weeks ago".

Industrial action started in March after members of the Unite trade union walked out in a dispute with Birmingham City Council over pay and jobs.

The city council said it had suspended collections across the city for the day due to the "expected mass pickets and protests" across its depots. Collections would resume on Tuesday, it added.

After the rally, striking workers marched to Council House in Victoria Square

A rally was held at Smithfield depot on Pershore Street, addressed by Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana, before workers marched to the Council House in the city centre.

Unite said it estimated about 40 workers were taking part in the industrial action.

The recruitment agency said it was committed to operating in full compliance with employment laws.

Agency worker Luke Graham said he was taking action to "stand up for what is right"

A High Court injunction was granted at the end of May to stop striking bin workers from delaying bin lorries leaving depots in Birmingham.

The terms of the injunction include limiting the number of picketers outside depots to a maximum of six.

They also require Unite members to "refrain from seeking to prevent any vehicle from passing through the site entrance to each of the depots, including by forming a blockade, sitting in the road or slow walking in front of the entrances to or the road leading to each of the depots."

'Blacklist threats'

Information published by Unite claimed bin drivers employed by the Job&Talent recruitment agency had been subjected to the "bullying tactic" of having their driving "performances" publicly ranked in a league table posted on their staff room wall at Smithfield depot.

Last month, Unite also claimed managers had threatened agency workers with being banned from jobs or blacklisted if they refused to cross picket lines.

Agency and council workers took part in a rally at the Smithfield depot on Pershore Street

These claims were echoed by agency worker Luke Graham, who said he was taking action to "stand up for what is right".

There was no "support or gratitude," he added, for keeping the service running, during this year's strike action.

"We kept it going, working overtime and doing extra work. There was also "constant threats on your job.

"I came out with no expectation of going back in," he added.

"I think all the agency lads now have had enough and they just want to come out and stand for what's right."

Industrial action started in March after members of the Unite trade union walked out in a dispute with Birmingham City Council over pay and jobs

Earlier this month, a spokesman for Job&Talent said: "We prioritise the rights, welfare, and safety of our workers and maintain regular communication to ensure they feel supported."

It added it took any allegation concerning worker welfare and safety extremely seriously, and would not "tolerate intimidation or threats against workers for exercising their rights, including participation in industrial action".

The first dispute between Unite and Birmingham City Council saw on-off industrial action for several weeks from January, before all-out strikes started on 11 March.

The original dispute followed the scrapping of a waste collection and recycling officer role, which Unite said would see affected workers lose up to £8,000 a year. The council said a "fair and reasonable offer" had been made.

Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana joined workers on the picket line, and addressed the crowd

Unite's national officer Onay Kasab said the move by agency workers was "hugely significant".

"I would challenge anybody to come up with another dispute where agency workers, who have been brought in to break the strike, have actually been balloted for strike action themselves and have voted to take action," he said.

"Even if it was four or five agency workers coming out, that would be massive, but we've got over 40 and more and more joining us."

Strikes have led to rubbish piling up, with uncollected waste several feet high in some streets in the first few months, amid complaints of rats, foxes and seagulls tearing open plastic bags.

This month, the council said it had been collecting an average of approximately 1,330 tonnes of kerbside waste every day, more than it did prior to industrial action, and over the past six months had collected more than 100,000 tonnes of kerbside waste.