Birmingham bin strikes to continue for months, union warns, as industrial dispute deepens

Rubbish will continue rotting in the streets of Birmingham for months, union chiefs have warned, after more workers voted to join industrial action.

Agency workers employed by Job&Talent are now joining the dispute for the first time, with the Unite union blaming "an epidemic of bullying, harassment and intimidation".

And with workers voting to extend the already months-long strike, the union says bins could go uncollected beyond next year's local elections in May.

It comes after footage obtained by Sky News captured a manager from Job&Talent warning agency staff that those who join the strike would be blacklisted by the council.

In the clip, he says: "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."

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: "This is a real escalation in the dispute with agency workers now joining picket lines due to the terrible way they have been treated by Job&Talent and Birmingham council.

"The council is spending a fortune it doesn't have on a dispute that could easily be resolved by agreeing a fair deal for workers.

"Unite does what it says on the trade union tin; we are totally committed to fighting for the jobs, pay and conditions of all members.

"Agency and directly-employed workers alike in Birmingham council's refuse service have the union's complete and utter support."

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: "While we are disappointed the dispute has not been resolved as Unite has rejected all our offers, we are continuing to make regular waste collections and our contingency plan is working.

"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 per cent increase in tonnage of waste collected per employee and a 52 per cent improvement regarding missed collections.

"A small number of agency staff are in a separate dispute with Job&Talent. The city council has contingency plans and will continue to look to maintain residents with a minimum of one collection a week.

"Meanwhile we continue to move forward with the service improvements that are long overdue and that our residents need."

The council also said it would not tolerate blacklisting, and had investigated the matter, but concluded no blacklisting had taken place.

In a statement last week, Job&Talent responded to the leaked footage.

Read more:
No end in sight for bin strike after six months
Birmingham bin strikes: How residents are taking action

The statement read: "Job&Talent is aware of a short video clip circulating online which shows a Job&Talent manager speaking to agency workers at one of the city's refuse depots.

"The comments made in the recording 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."

Unite said Job&Talent workers would be able to join the picket line from 1 December.

Bin workers have been locked in a standoff with the council over proposed pay cuts for most of the year.

Union bosses say council plans will leave 171 workers £8,000 worse off a year.

Collections have been disrupted since January, but the row descended into an all-out strike in March.

The council soon declared a major incident and rubbish has continued to pile up across the city as the dispute continues.

Unite claims there have been no formal negotiations over ending the dispute since May.

The union's lead officer, Onay Kasab, said: "Residents of Birmingham will be rightly concerned to see that the misery of bin strikes can continue through Christmas, New Year and beyond May's local elections but the council is solely responsible for the ongoing dispute.

"Unite remains fully committed to return to meaningful negotiations to secure a fair deal for affected workers while also ensuring the endemic bullying culture and threats of blacklisting are stamped out."

In a statement, Job&Talent said: "We acknowledge the ballot outcome and will continue working closely with our workers to address any concerns.

"The result reflects only a small portion of our overall workforce.

"As addressed previously, Job&Talent remains firmly committed to operating with transparency, integrity, and full compliance with employment laws."

(c) Sky News 2025: Birmingham bin strikes to continue for months, union warns, as industrial dispute deepens