Jeremy Corbyn’s message to Birmingham council as ‘megapicket’ disrupts bin collections

Protesters from a number of unions travelled to Birmingham from across the country and gathered at depots this morning to show solidarity with striking bin workers.

The industrial action, triggered by a dispute between the council and Unite the union, has been rumbling on since January and left residents dealing with overflowing bins and heaps of rubbish.

Mr Corbyn, who has just launched a new political party, was among speakers who addressed a crowd of protesters outside Atlas Depot in Tyseley, where the gates were shut due to the demonstration.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that his message to the city council was: “Get a deal now, settle this dispute now and pledge yourself to genuine equal pay which means equal pay for work of equal value.”

He also argued the Labour government had not done enough to resolve the dispute.

“It’s the government that holds the purse strings in this and they know that,” the MP for Islington North said.

“They could have got rid of the commissioners – they chose not to do that. Commissioners, whatever their intentions, are not a very democratic way of running services.”

He also accused Birmingham Council of “ignoring” the equal pay issue for a “very long time”.

“That is not the fault of the Birmingham bin workers or any other group of workers in Birmingham,” he said. “That is the responsibility of Birmingham City Council and of central government.”

Addressing the crowd of union members earlier in the morning, he said: “It wasn’t the Birmingham bin workers who got the finances of Birmingham City Council into a mess.

“It wasn’t the bin workers who created any of the problems that Birmingham faces. They are the people that keep the city clean and support the people of this city.”

“If we lose, think which city is going to be next,” Mr Corbyn added.

During the demonstration today, Gawain Little, from the General Federation of Trade Unions, urged the city council to restart negotiations with Unite.

“I think it’s really important that the trade unions have come together to show solidarity with the bin workers,” he told the LDRS. “What’s been done to them is unacceptable.”

Kate Taylor, from the NEU and Brum Rise Up campaign, called on the Labour government to do more to support councils.

“Local authorities are in significant financial distress across the country and that is because of significant underfunding,” she said.

In response to striking workers’ concerns about pay, the leadership at the Labour-run council has repeatedly insisted a “fair and reasonable” offer had been made.

It confirmed via X, formerly Twitter, today that there had been disruptions to bin collections due to the protests outside its depots.

“Please leave your bin out and if not collected as scheduled we will aim to collect as soon as possible,” it said.

The second ‘megapicket’ came after the council said it was ending negotiations with Unite to resolve the dispute.

The authority said it would notify staff and unions of its intention to enter consultation with affected workers – while keeping the door open to those wanting to accept offers to retrain or be redeployed.

Council leader John Cotton said: “We have negotiated in good faith but unfortunately Unite has rejected all offers so we must now press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service.

“Unite’s demands would leave us with another equal pay bill of hundreds of millions of pounds, which is totally unacceptable, and would jeopardise the considerable progress we have made in our financial recovery.”

Local government minister Jim McMahon said: “The union has rejected the council’s fair and reasonable offer….(despite) the council’s hard work to offer options to affected workers.”

‘Council committed to ending equal pay risks’

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said that the authority recognised it has, over many years, failed to address all of its equal pay risks.

“We have committed to ending that,” they continued. “Progress towards settling equal pay claims following the agreement reached in November 2024 is in line with plans agreed in partnership with GMB.

“The council continues to work at pace and progressively with GMB to begin settling claims by the end of this year.”

The council also confirmed this week it had applied for contempt of court proceedings against Unite due to “persistent evidence of a breach of the court order which the union have agreed to and are required to comply with”.

It said the injunction prevented the blocking of its refuse collection vehicles, both at its depots and on streets.

“We are taking this step to ensure the safety of our city and the safety of our workforce, including those who are on strike,” the council said.

A spokesperson for Unite said: “The court application is the latest distraction from the real task of resolving the ongoing dispute.”

Unite also said that since the council’s court application, it had worked with its members and reps to “ensure that there has been compliance with the court order”.