Conciliation talks no miracle cure - ex Acas chief

Rubbish has piled up throughout Birmingham during the dispute

Mediation talks with conciliation service Acas to resolve the ongoing Birmingham bin strike dispute will be no "miracle cure", a former chief executive has said.

John Taylor, former chief executive of Acas, said both parties have to understand they need to reach a solution.

Union members agreed to meet with the independent body after talks with Birmingham City Council to resolve the strike, which began on 11 March, broke up after 40 minutes.

Unite the Union said a deal could be within "touching distance" ahead of their meeting with Acas next week. But what is Acas and how can they help?

Acas is an independent service which has no statutory controls.

It offers employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice.

Mr Taylor told BBC Radio WM that when organisations call in Acas it means parties are "actually now looking for a solution."

"We all have disputes...and what happens is at some point your emotions start to rule your actions, whereas actually what you need is a third party who can sit back and be objective and help you through the issues, and try and find those areas where you agree," he said.

"Generally people agree about many more things than they disagree."

Members of Unite began staging one-day walkouts in January after being told some workers would be downgraded and have their pay cut

Mr Taylor said while he believes "common sense" has kicked in by bringing in Acas, both the council and Unite need to remember the third party - the customer.

"It is about the people and businesses of Birmingham who are not receiving the service that they should," he added.

"I am pretty sure the council and the union both want to provide a good service to the customer and that is what the focus has got to be about."

Unite's national lead officer Onay Kasab said after the council meeting on Wednesday that "the battle has never been about making things difficult for the public" but for "protecting members pay."

'Nub of the issues'

Birmingham City Council have said they are now able to give people a designated bin collection on their day once a week.

A council spokesperson said "negotiations are ongoing, they are positive and there has been an agreement that there will be further discussions at the end of next week under Acas."

The dispute initially centred on the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles, however, Unite has also urged the council to guarantee the long-term pay for bin lorry drivers.

While union bosses said a resolution could be in sight on the WRCO role row, they said an agreement seemed further off around drivers' pay.

Mr Taylor said the discussions about drivers now could mean that both are "getting to the nub of the issues" rather than a "very general one".

"What would normally happen is Acas would have separate talks with each party, would really get down to the nub of the issues and then try and bring them together, and agree a route towards a solution," he said.

"Acas tends to work behind the scenes, doesn't talk to the media because what it is trying to do is resolve the issues.

"If people have decided to come to Acas then that is a pretty good indication that they want to try and find a solution."