Latest news with #BirminghamCityCouncil
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bin strike deal offer watered down, says union
A deal offered to striking bin workers in Birmingham has been watered down, their union claims. Unite has called for further negotiations with the city council after a "ball park" proposal discussed at talks with conciliation service Acas had been revised "by government commissioners and the council leader". An all-out strike in the city is now in its third month, after staff walked out on 11 March over plans to downgrade some roles, which the union says could cost workers £8,000 a year. Birmingham City Council has been approached for a response over the current deal it is offering. Talks between the Labour-run council and Unite have been taking place with the conciliation service since the start of May, after previous negotiations to resolve the strike ended without a solution. The union's latest statement accuses the authority of missing deadlines on the proposals which had been tabled on Friday evening. "After weeks and weeks of saying one thing in public and another to workers, the government commissioners finally allow a proposal to be put on the table," said Unite's General Secretary Sharon Graham. She said the offer had been watered down by the council leader and government commissioners "who were not in the negotiating room". Ms Graham said the offer would be discussed with reps over the weekend and a detailed response would be issued ahead of a reconvened Acas meeting. "The actual decision makers now need to be in the room at the further ACAS talks," she said. A court order preventing striking workers from delaying bin lorries leaving depots in the city will continue indefinitely, it was confirmed on Thursday. The union said it was preparing to challenge the injunction, but said it agreed to abide by the law on picketing. On 23 May, when the injunction was granted, the city council said disruption at depots had led to a backlog of up to 12,800 tonnes of waste. Police recently scaled down their presence on picket lines, where they had been helping to ensure bin trucks could get out of the depots, to prevent waste piling up on city streets. The West Midlands force withdrew after stating the issues did "not meet the threshold" to impose powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Bin strike picket court order to continue indefinitely Council gets court order over bin lorry blocking Union blames council for lack of bin strike deal Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? Birmingham City Council Unite the Union
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Birmingham bin strike deal offer was watered down, says union
A deal offered to striking bin workers in Birmingham has been watered down, their union has called for further negotiations with the city council after a "ball park" proposal discussed at talks with conciliation service Acas had been revised "by government commissioners and the council leader".An all-out strike in the city is now in its third month, after staff walked out on 11 March over plans to downgrade some roles, which the union says could cost workers £8,000 a City Council has been approached for a response over the current deal it is offering. Talks between the Labour-run council and Unite have been taking place with the conciliation service since the start of May, after previous negotiations to resolve the strike ended without a union's latest statement accuses the authority of missing deadlines on the proposals which had been tabled on Friday evening. "After weeks and weeks of saying one thing in public and another to workers, the government commissioners finally allow a proposal to be put on the table," said Unite's General Secretary Sharon Graham. She said the offer had been watered down by the council leader and government commissioners "who were not in the negotiating room". The union leader said the offer would be discussed with reps over the weekend and a detailed response would be issued ahead of a reconvened Acas meeting. "The actual decision makers now need to be in the room at the further ACAS talks," she said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
ITV News
8 hours ago
- ITV News
Birmingham bin workers back to frustrating lorries at depot in strike escalation
Striking bin workers are back to frustrating agency lorries in Birmingham as the number of police on the picket lines has been cut. A group of Unite the Union members formed a human chain at Lifford Household recycling centre in Kings Norton, this morning (May 16th). Striking refuse workers, slowing down contracted refuse collectors by walking in front of their lorries, was a regular sight at the start of Birmingham's bin strikes, but recently they've left the depots alone. That was because the police had used powers from Section 14 of the Public Order Act to make sure that agency lorries could drive out unobstructed. Those powers are no longer in place, so the striking bin workers returned to frustrating the council. The bin lorries weren't able to leave the depot and instead just approached the bin workers' picket line before reversing back inside the depot. The striking workers have said they would be happy to let the lorries out of the depot, but they aren't even trying to get out of the gates. Birmingham City Council said that the reduction in police officers on the picket lines mean't that the gates of three of their depots were blocked. On a post on X, they wrote: "Unfortunately, actions by pickets at our 3 depots have meant very few of our waste lorries have been deployed this morning. "This will affect the amount of collections we are able to make. Please leave your bins out, and we will collect them as soon as possible. "This may be over the weekend. We apologise for the disruption." Members of Unite have been on all-out strike for more than two months in a bitter dispute over pay and jobs. The conciliation service Acas is involved in trying to achieve a breakthrough but despite a number of meetings, the dispute remains deadlocked. Bin collections were also disrupted yesterday, on Thursday, May 15th, as striking workers also blocked depots. The city council issued a statement warning of fresh delays to collections. It said: 'Actions by pickets at two of our depots have meant very few of our waste lorries have been deployed this morning. 'People have the right to strike but those that want to work should be allowed to do so. We also want to ensure that the situation is safe for everyone, which has to be a priority for us. 'Unfortunately, delays this morning will affect the amount of collections we are able to make. 'We will continue to look at all options to ensure we can get trucks out and keep the streets clean.' A Unite spokesperson said: 'The council's claims are an attempt to blame workers on legal, safe and peaceful picket lines for the disruption to services it has caused through its huge and unnecessary pay cuts.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Injunction over pickets in strike by bin workers to continue indefinitely
A court order to stop bin lorries being blocked from leaving depots amid a long-running strike in Birmingham will continue indefinitely, a council has said. Birmingham City Council said the injunction sets out expected behaviour from pickets and will ensure that protests at its three depots are in accordance with legal provisions. An interim injunction was granted on May 23 until a hearing on Thursday, but the council said the court had ratified a consent order agreed with the Unite union on Wednesday that the injunction will continue on an indefinite basis. Members of Unite have been on all-out strike since March 11 in a row over pay and jobs, leading to bags of refuse piling up across the city. The council said: 'We are pleased that the court has ratified the consent order agreed with Unite yesterday that the injunction, which was granted by the High Court on Friday May 23, will continue on an indefinite basis. This means that there will not be a court hearing at 2pm today. 'This should ensure that vehicles are freely able to leave their depots and that workers are also able to continue to collect waste from the city. 'We have also agreed with Unite that the legal costs which the council incurred in securing the original injunction will be dealt with by the court at a later date. 'As we have previously stated, we acknowledge that everyone has the right to protest and that Unite has the right to organise picketing in line with their statutory rights. 'The terms of the order which Unite has now agreed is designed to ensure that this is all done within the confines of the law. 'In the meantime, our efforts to resolve the underlying industrial dispute will also continue.' A Unite spokesperson said: 'Unite has agreed to abide by the law on picketing and we will continue to conduct a lawful, peaceful picket. 'Whilst the injunction will remain in place, both parties are entitled to apply to the court at any time in relation to the order. Birmingham City Council is fully aware of this. 'The union is preparing evidence to be able to seek to persuade the court that the interim injunction should not have been granted last Friday evening. 'When the union's evidence is complete, the union will consult our lawyers to take necessary steps to ensure that this matter is referred back to the court for a thorough review at a hearing on a later date. 'The hearing last Friday evening involved the council being able to present a large amount of material, which was disclosed to the union late on Friday afternoon. 'Unite was given no proper notice of the hearing and had no opportunity to present our side of the case. That will be redressed on the basis set out above.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Union to challenge bin strike picket court order
Unite the Union has said it is preparing to challenge a court order which prevents its members from delaying bin lorries leaving depots in Birmingham. An interim injunction was granted by the High Court on 23 May, after collections were said to have been disrupted by striking workers. The union added it had agreed to abide by the law on picketing and would continue to conduct a lawful, peaceful protest. Birmingham City Council said it had applied for the order to continue on an indefinite basis so workers were "freely able to leave their depots", and its efforts to resolve the dispute continued. Police recently scaled down their presence on picket lines, where they had been helping to ensure bin trucks could leave to prevent waste piling up on city streets. The council said on Friday it had sought the injunction after seeing "an increase in disruption" at depots, with "workers and vehicles being prevented from doing their job". The West Midlands force withdrew after stating the issues did "not meet the threshold" to impose powers under Section 14 of the Public Order Act. However, Unite said it believed the injunction should not have been granted. "Unite was given no proper notice of the hearing and had no opportunity to present our side of the case," it said in a statement. The authority said it acknowledged that everyone had the right to protest and the union had the right to organise picketing in line with their statutory rights. "The terms of the order which Unite has now agreed is designed to ensure that this is all done within the confines of the law," it added. Workers who are members of the union have been involved in all-out industrial action since 11 March in a pay row that now also includes a dispute over bin lorry drivers' wages. On Thursday morning, bin workers on the picket line at the city's depot in Tyseley allowed trucks manned by agency staff to leave. However, there was a queue of lorries waiting to leave at about 06:45 BST, as those on strike spent several minutes talking to each crew, explaining why they were on strike. About 40 bin workers were on the picket line, with most gathered on the opposite side of the road. The BBC's Bob Hockenhull said there was one police car on site, and described the atmosphere as "good humoured". "There is no threats, no intimidation, we are happy to talk to the agency staff in the wagons," said Steve, who was on the picket line in Tyseley. "But if they don't want, they're free to drive straight out. "It's their choice to stop and talk or drive straight through." Another striking bin worker, Wayne Bishop, added: "It's starting to hit my bank balance and I'm glad I've got strong family and friends to help me if need be." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Council gets court order over bin lorry blocking Union blames council for lack of bin strike deal Why are Birmingham bin workers on strike? Birmingham City Council Unite the Union
