Disruption from Birmingham bins strike could continue into 2026 as protesters plan third ‘megapicket’
Disruption from the Birmingham bins strike could continue into the first month of 2026 as protesters plan a third ‘megapicket’.
The industrial action this year has seen members of various unions travel to Birmingham from across the country and gather outside depots to show solidarity with striking bin workers.
The second ‘megapicket’ demonstration disrupted collections back in July and saw former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn address a crowd outside Atlas Depot in Tyseley.
And now plans are being made by Strike Map for a third such protest from 6am on January 30.
“Following the successful Megapicket in May, which shut down Lifford Lane, and Megapicket II in July, which closed all five sites across Birmingham and Coventry, Strike Map is now organising Megapicket 3-D, targeting all sites,” it said.
Strike Map continued that it will be working alongside unions, campaign groups and community organisations.
“We hope to mobilise people from across the country and most importantly across the West Midlands to join us,” it added.
“Victory to the bin strikers!”
The strike, triggered by a dispute between the council and Unite the union over the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, left residents dealing with overflowing bins and heaps of rubbish during its height.
In response to striking workers’ concerns about pay, the leadership at the Labour-run council has repeatedly insisted that a “fair and reasonable” offer had been made.
At the last ‘megapicket, Mr Corbyn told the Local Democracy Reporting Service 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.”
“It wasn’t the Birmingham bin workers who got the finances of Birmingham City Council into a mess,” he told the crowd beforehand.
“It wasn’t the bin workers who created any of the problems that Birmingham faces.”
During the same demonstration, 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 said. “What’s been done to them is unacceptable.”
After the council confirmed it was ending negotiations with Unite earlier this year, 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.”
