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

Targeted Youth Adviser

Essex County Council
£29512.00 - £34720.00 per annum
Targeted Youth AdviserPermanent, Full Time£29,512 to £34,720 Per AnnumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Administration Assistant

Durham County Council
Grade 4 £25,583 - £26,824
A vacancy has arisen within Business Services for a full-time Administration Assistant. This is an exciting opportunity to join the team who support o Peterlee
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Roofer

Durham County Council
£36,040 p.a. (Made up of £24,027 salary plus £12,013 p.a Interim Operational Allowance)
Salary
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Classroom Teacher (static)

Durham County Council
£32,916 - £51,048
Required from 1 September 2026. Permanent, full time. This post is based at Croft Community School which is a generic special school for pupils who h Stanley
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Workshop Fitter

Durham County Council
£32,597 £36,363
You will be based at Chilton Depot     Fleet Services in Environment are looking for a Workshop Fitter to join their Team.   WHAT IS INVOLVED? To und Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner