Mark Whitehead 18 March 2019

Birmingham council and union ‘welcome’ end to refuse dispute

Refuse collectors who took part in a series of strikes in Birmingham are to be given £3,500 each in a settlement which both sides say has ended the long-running dispute.

Unite the Union claimed its members had been discriminated against when it was discovered that workers in another union who did not take part in a strike last year had been given payments.

The council has now also agreed it will stop using crews that do not meet the union's demand for full staffing and will hold a recruitment day so that agency staff will be able to apply for full-time positions.

It will also commission a review of the 'future options for delivery of the waste service'.

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett welcomed the 'excellent' settlement: 'Unite has been consistent from the beginning of the dispute that our members were simply seeking parity, with the payments that workers who did not take part in the 2017 dispute, subsequently received.

'Once that principle was understood the dispute could be resolved.'

Council leader Ian Ward said: 'Everyone involved has always had the same aim – to deliver the best possible service for citizens, as clean streets have consistently been named as the number one priority for the people of Birmingham.

'We all know the service needs to be better than it has been. This settlement will enable us to lay the foundations for improvement.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Director of Legal & Governance (Monitoring Officer)

Peterborough City Council
£107,790 - £128,742
Peterborough is one of the UK’s fastest growing and most ambitious cities. Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Recuriter: Peterborough City Council

Head of Service, Legal Services (Deputy Monitoring Officer)

Peterborough City Council
£80,217 - £97,576
Peterborough is one of the UK’s fastest growing and most ambitious cities. Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Recuriter: Peterborough City Council

Assistant Director Strategy & Community Regeneration

Newcastle City Council
£100,592 - £106,591 per annum
Newcastle is a city fast gaining a reputation for its innovation and progress. Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Recuriter: Newcastle City Council

Chief Planning Officer

Swindon Borough Council
£87,720 per annum
For us our Chief Planning Officer is the champion of what Swindon could be. Swindon, Wiltshire
Recuriter: Swindon Borough Council

Practice Supervisor

North Yorkshire Council
£47,181 - £51,356 per annum, pro rata
The service very much promotes flexible working with the ability to work remotely from other bases, as well as working from home Richmond, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council
Linkedin Banner