Prime Minister urged by MPs to take action on 'avoidable' Birmingham bins strike

The striking bin workers met with supportive MPs in Parliament on Tuesday (January 27) around three weeks after the industrial action hit the grim one-year milestone.

A letter, calling on the Prime Minister to intervene in the ongoing situation and help find a resolution, was signed by 35 MPs and sent to Sir Keir on Tuesday evening.

The bins strike dispute between Labour-run Birmingham City Council and Unite the union was initially triggered by the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role.

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

The letter to the Prime Minister started by reading: “Dear Keir.

“We know you will agree with us that the Birmingham bin strike has gone on far too long.

“This dispute is not about workers asking for more, but simply dealing with the threat of pay cuts of up to a staggering £8,000.”

The council has disputed that figure and repeatedly claimed that a fair offer had been made before negotiations came to an end last summer.

The letter continued that Unite MPs from all factions of the Labour Party had “expressed grave concern at how this avoidable dispute has been allowed to continue”.

It said: “Unite members voted for a Labour Government with the cast-iron guarantee of a new era of industrial relations, working hand in hand with the union movement.

“Resolving this strike is an opportunity to see this pledge in action.

“We also note that the Government has a direct role to play, as Birmingham Council’s managing director has clearly stated that any deal must be approved by the commissioners who report to the Government.

“Unite MPs, with the union and its rank-and-file members, know that a fair resolution is available which is acceptable to all parties.

“The union is keen to combat misinformation circulating about the strike – hence, Unite is organising parliamentary sessions for MPs to speak to the bin strikers and to Oliver Segal KC, a pre-eminent authority on equal pay claims.”

The letter went on to say that the dispute was harming Birmingham residents and causing “significant reputational damage” to Labour.

“This we believe is a critical threat to the longstanding and pivotal relationship between our party and our union,” it added.

“We must also acknowledge that at Unite’s policy conference this past summer, delegates overwhelmingly voted to reconsider the union’s link to the party unless this dispute is resolved.

“We believe it is paramount for the labour movement to now come together and resolve this for the bin workers and Birmingham residents.

“We ask that you urgently meet with Unite MPs to discuss how we can achieve a resolution that involves a fair deal for bin workers.”

The letter has been signed by Tahir Ali, Navendu Mishra, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Lorraine Beavers, Mary Foy, Paula Barker, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Antonia Bance, Apsana Begum, Cat Smith, Irene Campbell, Kate Osborne, Kim Johnson, Marie Rimmer, Rachael Maskell, Yasmin Qureshi, Andrew Ranger, Andy McDonald, Brian Leishman, Clive Lewis, Grahame Morris, Gurinder Josan, Ian Byrne, Ian Lavery, Imran Hussain, John McDonnell, Jon Trickett, Luke Akehurst, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Richard Burgon, Steve Witherden, James Naish, Jo Platt, Dawn Butler and Graeme Downie.

One of those MPs, Rebecca Long-Bailey, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “This dispute has gone on too long.

“The Government must step in and help bring about a fair settlement now.”

‘We are not going to repeat past mistakes’

Addressing the bins strike at a meeting on Tuesday, Birmingham council leader John Cotton said: “[Bringing this dispute to a close] has to be done on the basis of not reopening this council’s equal pay liabilities and delivering a modern waste service.

“Those points are non-negotiable – we are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.

“We are open to dialogue to find a solution.

“However, those points have to be non-negotiable – it would not be in the best interests of the taxpayers of this city if we were to do anything else.”

On the challenges in finding a resolution, the council’s managing director Joanne Roney told a meeting this month that settling the dispute “cannot worsen the equal pay implications”.

She said there were also financial ‘best-value’ considerations that will be looked at by the government-appointed commissioners.

“It is incredibly difficult to find a way through these various hurdles,” she said.

Addressing the bins strike last year when it was raised in the House of Commons, Sir Keir said: “In relation to the situation in Birmingham, it is completely unacceptable.

“I fully support the council in declaring a major incident to resolve the situation. We’ll put in whatever additional support is needed.”