Agency staff warned of blacklisting over strike

Striking refuse workers outside Birmingham City Council's Perry Barr depot in June

A union has accused senior council managers of threatening to blacklist agency staff who refuse to cross the picket line of striking bin workers.

Unite the union shared footage which shows a manager from Job&Talent, an agency contracted by Birmingham City Council, telling staff that council chiefs will ban them from jobs.

At a meeting at Atlas depot on Thursday, the manager said "those people that do decide to join the picket line, then the council have confirmed to us that they are not going to get a permanent job".

A council spokesperson said it did not "condone any actions which are contrary to legislation and good employment practice," adding, "blacklisting will not be tolerated".

"We will immediately begin an investigation to ascertain the full facts. As this is a staffing matter, it would not be appropriate to make any comment," the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson from Job&Talent said comments made in the "short video clip" were part of a longer discussion and "do not reflect the position of Job&Talent."

"We do not engage in or condone any form of blacklisting, and no worker is or would be denied employment opportunities on the basis of lawful participation in industrial action.

"The exchange was part of an effort to clarify that no third party can guarantee permanent employment and that employment decisions are made through formal processes.

"No action has been taken against any worker or Job&Talent employee in relation to this matter," they said.

Birmingham's bin workers have been on strike since March 2025 in a dispute over proposed pay cuts and plans to downgrade some job roles.

The authority 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.

In September, members of Unite voted to extend the strike until March 2026.

Union officials said a growing number of agency workers are refusing to cross Birmingham bin strike picket lines because of the pressure being put on them by managers to meet what they describe as "unsustainable workloads".

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Blacklisting workers for union activities is despicable. Those who do it are breaking the law and must be held to account."

The council "strongly refutes" union claims of a "toxic workplace culture" at its waste depots.

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