Bin collections suspended in Birmingham as agency workers join picket lines over bullying claims - here's when they are due to resume
Agency workers have joined striking bin workers on the picket lines in Birmingham - following claims of bullying and harassment as the council suspends bin collections across the city
Employees who had kept on working during the long-running dispute joined strikers at Birmingham City Council's Smithfield depot this morning (Monday, December 1).
The agency staff, employed by Job & Talent, voted in favour of strike action two weeks ago over claims of bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting by the council.
The trade union Unite said 18 out of 22 agency staff who are members had voted to strike from December 1.
Binman Mike Masters said: "They've had enough. I'm a full timer, I'm a driver and team leader. The agency lads phoned me and said they wanted to come out on strike.
"I asked why and they said they were sick to death of being bullied and victimised, so they come out with us.
"When we come out on strike, they went to the agency guys, put their arm around them and said 'yeah, we'll look after you'.
"A month or two later, they're being victimised and bullied. They've put a pressure point on them that if they didn't complete the work they'd be sacked.
"That's why they're out on strike ands why we are where we are now."
Industrial action initially started in March after binmen walked out in a dispute with Birmingham City Council over pay and jobs.
Unite said the action for agency workers to strike was 'an unprecedented development'.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Birmingham council will only resolve this dispute when it stops the appalling treatment of its workforce.
“Agency workers have now joined with directly employed staff to stand up against the massive injustices done to them.
“Instead of wasting millions more of council taxpayers’ money fighting a dispute it could settle justly for a fraction of the cost, the council needs to return to talks with Unite and put forward a fair deal for all bin workers. Strikes will not end until it does.”
Industrial action started in March after members of the Unite trade union walked out in a dispute with Birmingham City Council over pay and jobs.
Speaking at the demonstration in Pershore Street, Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said around 40 agency workers had joined the protests because of health and safety and other concerns.
Mr Kasab, who said video evidence of a “blacklisting threat” had been supplied to the council, said: “What we have got is the dispute actually escalating – more and more people joining the strike.”
Bin collections suspeced in Birmingham due to 'mass pickets and protests'
The city council said it had suspended collections across the city for the day due to the "mass pickets and protests" across its depots. Collections would resume on Tuesday, it added.
Birmingham City Council has described the bullying claims as “unfounded” and says an investigation found that no “blacklisting” had occurred.
Describing agency staff joining regular workers on strike as an unprecedented move, Mr Kasab added: “There are disputes where sometimes in small numbers people join the strike as it goes on – what you don’t have is agency workers who have been brought in to break the strike actually balloting and voting and coming out on strike themselves as well.
“And that tells you so much about how Birmingham City Council have mishandled this dispute.
“We need negotiations. None of us want to see this dispute escalated. None of us want to see a single day’s further strike action.
“There is an end here. There is a resolution here. All we need is negotiations. It can be resolved, that’s the frustrating thing, but equally, we are going to stand by our members for as long as it takes until we get a resolution.”
Asked if striking bin workers’ resolve was as strong as it was when the all-out action began in March, Mr Kasab replied: “The resolve of the trade union is even stronger – the fact that the agency workers have joined means that the dispute has gone on from strength to strength.
“Our union, from the General Secretary down, will support our members until the end.”
Your Party MP Zarah Sultana was among those present at the Smithfield depot picket line to support the strikers, telling the crowd: “I am here as a proud member of Unite the Union, I am here as the MP for Coventry South, bringing solidarity from Coventry.
“I was proud to stand on the picket line with Coventry workers when they were on strike and I am proud to be with you this morning – this is an attack on the workers that keep this city clean, that keep this city running.
“No one will ever accept an £8,000 pay cut in a cost-of-living crisis.”
The council, which says agency staff have played a crucial role in delivering a consistent waste service, said in a statement: “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.
“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.”
In response to the claims of so-called blacklisting, the council said it “does not condone any actions which are contrary to legislation and good employment practice” and added that a full investigation was immediately initiated.
“This has now concluded and has found that no blacklisting has taken place,” the statement added.
