Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has hit back at government criticism of the Birmingham bin strike calling current proposals to end the dispute a ‘disgrace’ and the comments of one minister ‘misguided’.
Yesterday, leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell said Unite “absolutely needs to step up here and get back round the table and come to an agreement”, adding that there was “a reasonable agreement on the table” from the city council.
Graham called the idea there was a ready-made reasonable agreement an “absolute disgrace” and called Powell’s comments “misguided” in a statement on social media. She has urged local government secretary Angela Rayner to get involved.
Birmingham City Council
Local government minister Jim McMahon is currently in discussions with Birmingham council heads in an effort to end the strike.
Powell told MPs: “I was in Birmingham just last weekend visiting my in-laws and my husband’s family and the situation there is totally unacceptable, it is awful what people are living with and we want to see it end and end immediately.
“I’ve no problem in saying that the trade union there, Unite, they absolutely need to step up here and get back round the table and come to an agreement. I think there is a reasonable agreement on the table and the trade union and the council should come to that very quickly.”
But in a letter to Angela Rayner, the local government secretary, Graham said: “This is an escalating issue and the government cannot simply sit on its hands saying ‘nothing to do with us. We can’t get involved’. Let me be very clear, that the pay of these workers is being cut by a Labour council under your watch. The current escalation increasingly looks like a declaration of war on these workers.”
Rubbish collectors in the city began intermittent strikes in January over council plans to downgrade some staff and reduce their pay but on 11 March about 400 workers began an indefinite strike after the council used agency staff for bin collections.
Birmingham City Council has declared a major incident and accused striking refuse collectors of preventing bin lorries from leaving its depots. Reports suggest that the city is now suffering a major rat and blow fly infestation.
Unite claimed that 150 workers could lose up to £8,000 a year because of changes being brought in by the council. Graham added: “I assume if there is £8,000 taken off your salary with only six months’ protection, you would see that as a good deal and accept it? Maybe take the time to find out the detail before you attack Unite members.”
The council, whose finances have been overseen by government commissioners since it declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023, said the restructuring was “a crucial part of our need to become financially sustainable”.
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