Council says ‘no deal exists’ in bins strike update

Birmingham City Council has said no bins strike ‘deal’ currently exists in a major update on the dispute which has rumbled on for 17 months.

The strike, now well into its second year, has caused months of disruption to waste collection services and deep frustration among Brummies.

Prior to last month’s local elections, former council leader and former Birmingham Labour leader John Cotton announced an end to the strike was “within sight”.

In particular, he said the local authority was close to settling its dispute with Unite the union after reaching an agreement.

But he made clear in his statement that the pre-election period prevented the council from making a final decision prior to May 7 – the day of the local elections.

Coun Cotton went on to pledge that a “re-elected Labour administration under my leadership will work to get this deal approved as a matter of absolute priority”.

However, with Labour ultimately losing control of the council and a new administration now set to take over, Unite recently warned that the “deal to end the bin strikes struck by the old political leadership hangs in the balance”.

They said this is partly due to officers and government-appointed commissioners being  “potentially ready to pull the plug, regardless of the position of the new political leadership”.

But the council has responded by saying “no deal exists” as John Cotton’s statement was made in a political capacity – not as the leader of the council.

They went on to say that it will work to find a route to a “lawful, reasonable and industrially acceptable settlement” with the council’s new political leadership, which could be decided on Friday.

“Birmingham City Council were not party to discussions held between Unite and Labour in the run-up to local elections,” a council spokesperson said.

“Therefore, no ‘deal’ exists to ‘hang in the balance’ or ‘pull the plug’ on. The statement made in the run-up to the elections by the then-leader of the Labour group was made in a political capacity and not as the leader of the council.

“Since the commencement of industrial action, the council has worked diligently to find a route to a lawful, reasonable and industrially acceptable settlement of the waste dispute.

“We will continue to do so with the new leadership and administration of the council, when it is formed, and would urge Unite to engage with us also.”

The local elections resulted in the fracturing of Birmingham’s politics, which means no party had even half the numbers needed to take control of the council themselves.

Talks have been underway to try and form a stable coalition between various groups and a meeting has reportedly been scheduled for Friday to decide the next leader and administration.

The bins strike dispute, triggered over the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, saw the previous Labour administration at the council argued that a fair offer had been made to striking workers, despite claims that they face a pay cut of £8,000.