Birmingham's waste collection service has been brought to a complete standstill today after agency workers joined striking council staff on the picket lines.
City-Wide Suspension of Services
Birmingham City Council confirmed that no bins would be collected anywhere in the city on Monday, December 1. The suspension was triggered when refuse collectors employed by the Job & Talent agency decided to down tools. These agency workers had been cleaning the city's streets during the long-running industrial action by directly employed council staff.
Rallies and mass pickets were staged from 8.30am outside three key depots: the Smithfield Depot on Sherlock Street, the Atlas depot in Tyseley, and the Perry Barr depot on Holford Drive. The council stated the decision to suspend services was due to the "expected mass pickets and protests" across its waste facilities.
Growing Dispute Over Workplace Culture
The Unite union, which represents the striking workers, claims the number of agency staff refusing to cross picket lines is "growing daily". Agency workers voted for strike action several weeks ago, alleging a toxic environment of "bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting".
Specific grievances include an incident where a manager was filmed telling agency staff that council chiefs would ban them from permanent jobs if they refused to cross picket lines. Workers also accused the council of bullying through a "league table" pinned in the Smithfield depot staff room, which publicly ranked drivers based on tachograph infringements.
Unite's General Secretary, Sharon Graham, said: "Birmingham Council will only resolve this dispute when it stops the appalling treatment of its workforce. Agency workers have now joined with directly employed staff to stand up against the massive injustices done to them."
Council Response and Next Steps
In a message to staff, the Job & Talent agency confirmed the suspension and assured workers they would receive usual pay for the day. The agency instructed staff to return to work as normal on Tuesday.
Birmingham City Council apologised for the inconvenience on social media platform X, adding: "Collections will resume tomorrow. We aim to complete all collections by Sunday. Please leave your bin out as normal."
A council spokesperson expressed disappointment that the dispute continues. They stated: "A small number of agency staff are in a separate dispute with Job & Talent. The city council has contingency plans and will continue to look to maintain residents with a minimum of one collection a week."
The council maintains it is moving forward with long-overdue service improvements, while Unite insists strikes will continue until a fair deal is put forward for all bin workers.
