Striking bin workers may face losing jobs - council

Residents have complained of rubbish piling up on the city's streets

Striking Birmingham bin workers who have "declined all offers on the table" may face compulsory redundancy, the city council has warned.

It comes as talks between the authority and union Unite to resolve the all-out industrial action, which started on 11 March, broke down without agreement.

Unite claims planned restructuring of the refuse service will see some 50 workers lose £8,000 a year, and about 20 lose £2,000 per annum, and says a consultation over redundancies is "disgraceful".

But the authority, which disputes the figures, said: "This is about securing a better waste service. We thank staff... and recognise the frustration of residents, for which we apologise."

There is a discrepancy between the council and the union over how many staff the restructuring would affect, but the number lies between 70 and 76.

"It is regrettable that it has come to [potential redundancies], the council has consistently tried to find a solution to the industrial action," the authority said in a statement.

"We have made a very fair offer, which means that no worker need lose any money. That offer remains open."

However, the union said the council was "refusing to discuss the issue that we are are in dispute over".

"They have still given no explanation around why there is a so-called equal pay issue, and that's fundamental to this," said Onay Kasab, Unite's national lead officer.

The strike began earlier this month

"Potentially, we are talking about 72 people, but we will make sure that the council does not go ahead with that process," he told the BBC.

"They have said that nobody will lose any money out of this, and we know now... that people are going to be losing money, not only that, but we know what their attitude is."

Mr Kasab added that if staff are made redundant it would mean the dispute would be extended.

Rats on streets

In its statement, the Labour-run city council said all staff had been offered alternative employment at the same pay, and almost three-quarters of staff had taken the offer or taken voluntary redundancy.

"There are now 41 workers who have declined any offer, and 35 workers who opted for valuable and skilled driver training, who have also told us via a letter from Unite that they are working under protest," it said.

The negotiations are due to begin again on Monday.

The industrial action has now been going on for the best part of three months, and images of rubbish piling up on the streets of Birmingham have been seen around the world.

Residents have complained about bad smells, and there have been reports of rats in the streets, as piles of bin bags continue to grow.

Councillor Majid Mahmood said the council was willing to work "around the clock" to bring the strikes to an end

Councillor Majid Mahmood, who this week resigned from Unite after the union failed to condemn reported violence on picket lines, said the bin collection service was in need of modernisation.

"I share the frustration of residents. I understand they're fed up," he said. "I'm a born and bred Brummie.

"I have not had a collection for a fortnight myself, but we have put contingencies in place to try to support residents during this industrial action.

"We've extended the hours of the household recycling centres so they can book a slot online and attend the centre to dispose of waste."

"My message is to Unite - please work with us. We're willing to work around the clock to resolve this."