'We're doing everything we can' - Prime Minister Keir Starmer responds to calls to intervene in Birmingham bins strike

The striking bin workers recently met with supportive MPs in Parliament around three weeks after the industrial action hit the bleak milestone of one year.

A letter, calling on the Prime Minister to take action and help find a resolution, had signatures from a number of Labour MPs and was sent to Sir Keir last month.

The bins strike, triggered by a dispute between Labour-run Birmingham City Council and Unite the union, saw rubbish pile high during its height and attracted unwanted headlines about ‘cat-sized rats’.

But despite negotiations taking place between the two parties, a resolution has not been reached and the strike has now rumbled on into its second year.

Yesteday (February 10) Unite the Union confirmed workers had voted to extend the strike for several more months until September.

Amid this deadlock, the bins strike was raised in the House of Commons today during Prime Minister’s Questions by Ayoub Khan, the MP for Birmingham Perry Barr.

Asking about the onging industrial action, he said: “Rubbish is building up right beneath my very nose.

“It’s becoming a serious problem in Birmingham.

“Can I ask gently the Prime Minister to intervene and perhaps speak to the leader of Birmingham City Council to see if he can re-enter negotiations with Unite the union?”

“He is right to raise this,” Sir Keir Starmer responded. “We’re doing everything we can to resolve the situation, which absolutely needs resolving.”

The Prime Minister however did not directly address Mr Khan’s suggestion to speak to Councillor John Cotton, the leader of Birmingham Council.

The bins dispute was initially sparked by the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role, with striking workers claiming they face a pay cut of £8,000 – a figure the council has disputed.

The council has insisted a fair offer had been made before negotiations came to an end last summer, saying at the time it had ‘reached the absolute limit of what we can offer’ amid equal pay fears.

The council’s managing director Joanne Roney recently said there had to be a “reasonable amount of recognition for both parties”, particularly with the council’s equal pay and financial position.

Coun Cotton meanwhile was asked last week whether residents should brace themselves for more months of disruption to collections.

“I am really keen we find a solution to this,” he said. “I really regret the fact we haven’t been able to reach a resolution with Unite and that it’s gone on for as long it has.

“No-one is more frustrated than me that we find ourselves in that position.

“What we’ll continue to do is ensure that we’re providing contingency collections; press on with the pilot of our food waste collection; continue to modernise the fleet and do all the other things we need to do to turn the service around.”

Coun Cotton went on to say: “I want the workforce to be able to come back to work and work with us on the journey of improvement.

“But what we can’t do is settle this on the basis that Unite have been asking us to because that would literally upend all the work that’s been done to put this council back on an even keel.

“It would be irresponsible of me to even entertain doing something like that.”

The council leader was pressed on whether residents could potentially have to wait until the summer to see a possible end to the bins strike.

“I would want to find a solution to this as soon as possible,” he said. “But I think to put timelines on it would be a foolish thing to do frankly.

“I’m absolutely committed to finding a resolution to this.”