Shropshire Star

Workers agree deal to end long-running bin strike in Birmingham

Members of Unite at Birmingham City Council voted to accept an agreement hammered out at conciliation service Acas.

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Rubbish bags piled high in Tarry Road, Birmingham

Refuse workers have backed a deal to end a long-running dispute over jobs and conditions.

Members of Unite at Birmingham City Council voted at a mass meeting to accept an agreement hammered out at the conciliation service Acas.

Unite said refuse workers are set to move to new roles in February under the deal which was endorsed by the council’s cabinet on Friday.

Rubbish bags piled high in Tarry Road, Birmingham
Rubbish bags piled high in Tarry Road, Birmingham ( Aaron Chown/PA)

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said: “This deal secures the grade three role and protects the pay of workers who faced losing thousands of pounds. It is a victory for common sense and a victory for the people of Birmingham who no longer need worry about the disruption of industrial action.

“This deal, which protects the livelihoods of hard-working refuse workers, would not have been possible without the determination and solidarity of Unite members. Rather than rolling over, they stood firm through thick and thin to defend their jobs and the service they provide to the city of Birmingham.

“The stand that Birmingham’s refuse workers took and the victory they have secured should be an inspiration to others right across the trade union movement.”

Unite said as part of the deal, a High Court hearing planned for Monday will not go ahead and the council has agreed to pay the union’s legal costs.

Workers staged three months of strikes which ended in September.

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