Angela Rayner suspended from Unite over Birmingham bin dispute
Unite criticised the deputy prime minister's support for Birmingham council, which it said had 'peddled lies' in its row with refuse workers.
Unite said its conference had voted 'overwhelmingly' in favour of ousting Rayner. John Cotton, the leader of Birmingham council, has also had his membership suspended.
Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary, said: 'Unite is crystal clear it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette.
'Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts.
'The disgraceful actions of the government and a so-called Labour council, is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises.
'People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour government on and coming up with the answer: not workers.'
• Birmingham bin strikes could last until Christmas after new vote
The dispute in Birmingham was initially over the removal of waste recycling and collection officer roles but later expanded to include the local authority's decision to hire temporary workers, which Unite claimed would 'undermine' strikes.
On-and-off strike action has been taking place since January, when an initial 12 walkouts were scheduled over four months. Bin collection workers then announced unlimited strikes on March 11.
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