The Lead Untangles: What is happening in Birmingham? Bin workers strike, negotiations stalling, council bankrupt
The all-out strike by Unite could last all year, we headed to England's second city to see what's been happening
In an era where misinformation is actively and deliberately used by elected politicians and where advocates and opposers of beliefs state their point of view as fact, sometimes the most useful tool reporters have is to help readers make sense of the world. The entirety of The Lead Untangles will always be free for all subscribers. If there’s something you think we should be untangling, then contact ed@thelead.uk
At a glance facts
Refuse workers in Birmingham belonging to Unite began an all-out strike on 11 March due to a dispute with the city council over proposed changes to roles and resulting pay cuts. After ten weeks of action, negotiations are still ongoing to end the dispute and reports have emerged suggesting the strikes will continue until December. Meanwhile, waste has been piling up on the streets in wards across Birmingham, creating serious public health concerns amid sensationalist media reports about the stench of the rubbish and the emergence of "rats as big as cats".
In recent weeks, emergency collections by Birmingham City Council (the result of a major incident being declared) have led to some reprieve for affected communities, with the council claiming that over 43,000 tons of waste were cleared and services were mostly back to normal (a claim rejected by local politicians and activists). However, in recent days, collections have once again been disrupted as workers picketing depots at Tyseley and Lifford Lane have prevented lorries from leaving in the mornings.
Crucially, the parts of Birmingham that appear to have been most affected by the strike are working-class areas with large South Asian populations, such as Sparkhill, Sparkbrook, and Small Heath. On the ground in these parts of the city, the perception amongst residents is that while there have been improvements in the service thanks to the emergency collections, more rubbish has been allowed to pile up here than in more affluent areas like Solihull or Edgbaston.
At last week's Prime Minister's Questions, Keir Starmer called on Unite to suspend the strike and bring the disruption to an end. He claimed the government is supporting the council to ramp up the cleaning operation and continue clearing the backlog.
Context: Why are workers striking?
The strike started after the council decided to scrap the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role. The WRCO role is essentially a middle pay grade between bin lorry drivers and bin lorry loaders, with the worker in this role asked to "supervise and undertake the collection and processing of refuse."
Under the WRCO system, drivers in Birmingham (who earn between £33,366 and £40,476) were accompanied by two loaders and a WRCO, with the WRCO (£26,409 to £32,654) on a higher pay band than the loaders (£24,027 to £25,992). This pay difference means that workers impacted by the new role changes (eg, WRCOs forced to move down a pay grade and become loaders) could lose up to £8,000 a year. Unite the Union claims this will affect 170 workers, although the council disputes Unite's figures and says that a lower number of staff will lose their jobs.
The WRCO role was created as a result of a previous bin strike, its implementation centred around pay progression and increased safety standards. The council is attempting to justify its decision to remove the position by claiming that "No other council has this role, and if the council conceded, then we would risk creating future equal pay liability."
Effectively, the council is saying that the WRCO role has the potential to reinforce pay disparities between positions that are traditionally dominated by male workers and positions that are more likely to involve female workers (most refuse workers are male). But at its core, this is about austerity.
Birmingham City Council is attempting to scrap the WRCO role because it is desperately trying to cut costs, having declared itself bankrupt in September 2023. Austerity, the Covid-19 pandemic, an expensive new Oracle IT system, and an equal pay dispute all conspired to create a financial crisis that Birmingham city council is still embroiled in and trying to wriggle out of. The local authority has raised council tax (despite basic services now not being fulfilled) and is cutting costs wherever they can, with adult social care and child services particularly impacted. Now, refuse workers are essentially being asked to foot the bill.
What is the left saying?
"The council's proposals, if allowed to stand, would mean people would get paid only just above the National Minimum Wage… We're not asking for extra money, we're not asking for improvements in terms and conditions, we're defending pay… [and] stopping austerity being imposed on refuse workers. " - Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab
"None of us want to be out on strike but as a union member we've got to be able to do something as we're losing £8,000. I'm sorry to the people of Birmingham that it looks a mess and we're giving Birmingham a bad rap, but we can't just stand by and lose that kind of money." - Dave Callaghan, striking bin worker
"This all strikes me as the perfect case study for what's happened to public services since 2010. It's a story of how the paying conditions for a once good job have been eaten away at. It's how we collectively make sense of the legacy of a decade of austerity and the decimation it has wrought on local government." - Polly Smythe, Novara Media reporter
What is the right saying?
"Look at what's happening in Birmingham, where there's rubbish piled up in the streets, there's rats running around everywhere, that's what happens, in my view, when you vote Labour. Conservative councils across the board deliver better services for lower taxes." - Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party
"What we've seen sadly over the last two weeks, since national support from the army has been withdrawn, bin lorries have not been going out again… that's leading to more rubbish starting to build up on the streets." - Birmingham's Conservative leader councillor Robert Alden
"While the Prime Minister prefers to take to the international stage, back here at home, Labour's Birmingham bin strike is now in its 10th week. Rubbish is still piled in the street and recycling goes uncollected… the reputation of the West Midlands is being trashed, his ministers continue to wash their hands of this, his mayor doesn't even want to talk about it… does the Prime Minister want to come to the West Midlands and sort this out?" - Wendy Norton, Conservative MP for West Midlands constituency Aldridge-Brownhills and former government minister
What comes next?
On 16th May, the BBC reported that the number of police officers being sent to the picket lines has been cut, a day after waste collections were disrupted due to bin lorries being blocked from leaving two depots by striking refuse workers. The following week, lorries were continually blocked from leaving the depot, with eight forced to turn around.
Previously, police had helped ensure that lorries left the depot thanks to an order under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, but those powers are no longer in place. Workers claimed they would allow the lorries to leave, but would then perform 'go-slow' tactics, walking in front of the lorries to severely slow down their progress (an action they previously used).
If this blocking of lorries continues, it will be extremely difficult for emergency collections to take place, and the rubbish will soon be piled up high across Birmingham again. The only viable option is an agreement between the council and Unite the Union, but there is very little to suggest that a resolution is imminent.
About The Lead Untangles: In an era where misinformation is actively and deliberately used by elected politicians and where advocates and opposers of beliefs state their point of view as fact, sometimes the most useful tool reporters have is to help readers make sense of the world.
The Lead Untangles is delivered each Friday by The Lead and focuses on a different complex, divisive issue with each edition. If there’s something you think we should be untangling, then contact ed@thelead.uk.
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About the author: Fred Garratt-Stanley is a freelance journalist who writes about culture, politics, football, and pubs. He's based in London and has written for a wide range of publications including The Lead, The Guardian, NME, Huck, and Pellicle.
A depressing situation which looks to have very little chance of resolution anytime soon 😐
What about environmental health?