logo
'Birmingham bin workers have little choice' over strike

'Birmingham bin workers have little choice' over strike

BBC News09-03-2025
Refuse workers have little choice but to take strike action over pay, a union representative has said.Unite members in Birmingham have staged a series of one-day walkouts since January with all-out strike action due to start on 11 March.Appearing on BBC Politics Midlands, Onay Kasar, Unite national lead officer, said: "When you're faced with a pay cut of up to £8,000 a year, what choice do we have?"The city council said it was proposing changes which would only affect 17 people and they face a pay cut of £6,000, not the £8,000 quoted by the union.
It also said it had offered those workers promotions and training to help them improve their pay, plus "attractive" voluntary redundancy packages.But the council also said the current pay structure was agreed in 2017 and was no longer the industry standard.It said the proposed pay changes were crucial if it was to become financially sustainable in the future.The new pay structure was voted through as part of the 2025/26 budget, which includes cuts to a wide range of services and another council tax hike.It is the Labour-run authority's second budget since it declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023.
Argument over figures
Mr Kasar said he was "really worried about the council's arithmetic" and said it would be 70 people affected by the pay cut, not 17.He said his union was prepared to talk and to make concessions.But he added: "Councillors have given themselves a 5% increase this year, clearly there's money for one group of people but not for public service workers."Labour MP for Dudley Sonia Kumar said although she acknowledged the reason refuse workers were striking, "the people of Birmingham were suffering"."I think we need a modern, sustainable and reliable waste service," she said."And I think really we need to work collaboratively with the unions and the stakeholders to get this over the line."
Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Starmer raises case of Briton detained in India during meeting with Modi
Starmer raises case of Briton detained in India during meeting with Modi

The Independent

time19 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Starmer raises case of Briton detained in India during meeting with Modi

Sir Keir Starmer is believed to have raised the case of a British man detained in India for years, with the country's prime minister. Prime Minister Sir Keir met Narendra Modi on Thursday as the two countries signed a trade deal It is understood that Sir Keir raised the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, a Sikh activist from Dumbarton near Glasgow, who was arrested while in India for his wedding in 2017. Mr Johal's brother Gurpreet had suggested the meeting was a 'golden' chance for the UK Government to seek to secure his release. Mr Johan is being held in custody by the Indian authorities, despite having been cleared of one of the cases against him earlier this year. He still faces charges at a federal level, which his supporters, who claim an initial confession he made was as a result of torture, fear could take years to come to a conclusion. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the issue was 'complex' but the Government was working to resolve it. 'The Government are doing all we possibly can to get this resolved,' he said. 'There was a recent meeting, just at the start of June, between the Foreign Secretary and his counterpart in India to try and get these issues resolved. 'So it's right at the top of the agenda and we can assure and reassure that we're doing everything we possibly can to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible.' Gurpreet Singh Johal, a Labour councillor in West Dunbartonshire, had earlier told BBC Radio Scotland: 'Raising the case is not enough, it's what we've been saying since day one. 'There's a golden opportunity here for the Prime Minister now, prior to the deal being signed or as the deal is being signed, that he strongly calls for Jagtar to be returned to his family so he can continue his married life.' Mr Murray said: 'The call is for these issues to be resolved and we're all fully on the same page in terms of having to get them resolved as quickly as possible.'

Scottish Secretary to give Donald Trump ‘warm welcome'
Scottish Secretary to give Donald Trump ‘warm welcome'

Telegraph

time19 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Scottish Secretary to give Donald Trump ‘warm welcome'

Ian Murray, Labour's Scottish Secretary, has said Donald Trump will receive 'a warm welcome' when he arrives in Scotland, despite previously calling for a state visit by the US president to be blocked. Mr Murray was an opposition MP in 2019 when he supported a parliamentary motion stating that Mr Trump, then in his first term as president, should not be offered a state visit to the UK, citing his 'misogynism, racism and xenophobia'. In an interview on BBC's Good Morning Scotland show on Thursday, Mr Murray defended his past comments and said it was the 'duty' of the Labour Government to ensure foreign dignitaries were welcomed 'in the right way'. Opposition politicians seized on Mr Murray's 'U-turn' and accused him of taking the public 'for fools'. Andrew Bowie, the shadow Scottish secretary, said: 'He had no credible explanation for his complete U-turn on the importance of President Trump visiting this country. 'I'm glad that Ian Murray has belatedly recognised how vital it is for Scotland to welcome, and work constructively with, the US president – but he'd have more credibility if he put his hands up and owned his past juvenile opportunism. 'No wonder the public are turned off by politics and politicians when they hear the Scottish Secretary trying to take them for fools.' Mr Trump is set to arrive in Scotland on Friday for a five-day visit, where he is expected to visit his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire, and Menie in Aberdeenshire. He will formally open the new 18-hole links MacLeod Course at Menie, named after his Lewis-born mother, Mary MacLeod. Mr Trump will also meet Sir Keir Starmer and John Swinney, Scotland's First Minister. During his BBC interview, Mr Murray was challenged over his support for an early day motion, tabled in the Commons six years ago, that called on then-prime minister Theresa May to rescind the offer of an official state visit to Mr Trump during his first term. The motion, backed by 106 MPs, 'deplored' Mr Trump's record 'including his previous comments on women, refugees and torture and 'condemned' his 'lack of action on climate change and failure to support the Paris climate change deal'. Asked if his view had changed since then, Mr Murray said there was 'global interest' in preserving the relationship between the UK and US. He told the programme: 'The long historic ties, cultural ties, economic ties between the US and the UK, we are the closest allies in the world and we have to make sure we are working together for the benefit of our national interest and the benefit of the global interest as well. Mr Murray also hinted at a potential meeting with the US president but said it had not yet been confirmed, adding: 'My predecessor, David Mundell, met with the president when he last landed in Scotland. 'It's a duty for us to make sure that we are welcoming foreign dignitaries to Scotland in the right way, particularly one that's our closest and nearest ally, both economically and [in] defence and security, and there's lots to talk about, of course.' Mr Trump's visit to Scotland comes after activists placed at his golf course a placard that claimed the luxury resort was 'twinned with Epstein Island' and is expected to be met by protests at his resorts and in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Police from England and Northern Ireland are being drafted in to support Police Scotland amid concerns raised by the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, that policing will be 'seriously affected'. Mr Swinney said this week that Mr Trump's time in Scotland would not put policing in a 'detrimental position'. The US president is due to return to the UK in September on a formal state visit during which he and his wife, Melania, will be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle.

Starmer raises case of Briton detained in India during meeting with Modi
Starmer raises case of Briton detained in India during meeting with Modi

Glasgow Times

time22 minutes ago

  • Glasgow Times

Starmer raises case of Briton detained in India during meeting with Modi

Prime Minister Sir Keir met Narendra Modi on Thursday as the two countries signed a trade deal It is understood that Sir Keir raised the case of Jagtar Singh Johal, a Sikh activist from Dumbarton near Glasgow, who was arrested while in India for his wedding in 2017. Mr Johal's brother Gurpreet had suggested the meeting was a 'golden' chance for the UK Government to seek to secure his release. Thankful to PM Keir Starmer for the warm welcome at Chequers. Our discussions reflect a shared commitment to deepen India-UK ties across sectors.@Keir_Starmer — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 24, 2025 Mr Johan is being held in custody by the Indian authorities, despite having been cleared of one of the cases against him earlier this year. He still faces charges at a federal level, which his supporters, who claim an initial confession he made was as a result of torture, fear could take years to come to a conclusion. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the issue was 'complex' but the Government was working to resolve it. 'The Government are doing all we possibly can to get this resolved,' he said. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the Government was doing 'all we possibly can' (Ben Whitley/PA) 'There was a recent meeting, just at the start of June, between the Foreign Secretary and his counterpart in India to try and get these issues resolved. 'So it's right at the top of the agenda and we can assure and reassure that we're doing everything we possibly can to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible.' Gurpreet Singh Johal, a Labour councillor in West Dunbartonshire, had earlier told BBC Radio Scotland: 'Raising the case is not enough, it's what we've been saying since day one. 'There's a golden opportunity here for the Prime Minister now, prior to the deal being signed or as the deal is being signed, that he strongly calls for Jagtar to be returned to his family so he can continue his married life.' Mr Murray said: 'The call is for these issues to be resolved and we're all fully on the same page in terms of having to get them resolved as quickly as possible.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store