City council response to latest waste service industrial action
This is the council's response to the latest announcement from Unite the Union on escalation of strike action.
“This escalation of industrial action will mean greater disruption to residents - despite the fair and reasonable offer that the council made to Unite the Union. To the small number of workers whose wages are impacted ongoing by the changes to the service (of whom there are now only 40) we have already offered alternatives, including highly valuable LGV Driver Training for career progression and pay, and other roles in the council equivalent to their former roles. No worker will lose the sums Unite are claiming.
"Residents of Birmingham want and deserve a better waste collection service and the restructure that Unite is opposing is part of the much-needed transformation of the service.
"Our door is still open, and we would encourage Unite to come back to the table.
“We thank residents for their continued understanding and patience so far and will continue to provide up-to-date information about our plans during the industrial action.”
Additional information -
- The transformation of the service means the restructuring of waste operations in line with national practice. Well over 50 councils across the country operate a waste service with a driver and two loaders so we are moving in line with national practice.
- The current structure was created as part of the settlement agreement following the 2017 bin strikes and is not industry standard.
- The restructure is a crucial part of our need to become financially sustainable and all roles have been evaluated.
- Claims that 150 people could lose £8,000 a year in pay are incorrect. The reality is that the number of staff that could lose the maximum amount (just over £6,000) is 17 people, they will have pay protection for six months in line with council policy.
- We are aware of comments regarding health and safety concerns but all our routes and working practices are fully risk-assessed and we always advise our workers to report any issues on their rounds - health and safety is everyone's responsibility.
