Latest news with #binstrike
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
No clear timeline on Birmingham's fortnightly bin collections
Birmingham City Council has said it is unable to provide a "clear timeline" for the roll-out of fortnightly bin collections. The council announced changes to waste collection services in Birmingham, including an alternate fortnightly collections for recycling and household waste, in January. But amid the continuing bin strike, councillor Majid Mahmood was unable to say when exactly the transformation, and the return of recycling collections, would now happen."Whilst I wanted to do this quickly so residents see the benefits and we realise the savings for the council, at this stage I'm not able to give a clear timeline," he said. Weekly food waste collections and a second recycling bin specifically for paper and cardboard were also set to be introduced in phases across the city from said: "We remain committed to the transformation of our waste service. It has not been good enough for too long and we need to improve it."We are committed to creating a modern, sustainable and consistently reliable waste collection service for all residents."However, he went on to say the timing of the changes had been affected by the industrial dispute and would depend on "operational consideration".Last week, talks to resolve the strike broke down, and some drivers were put at risk of compulsory said the "first priority" had been to keep the city clean and said the council's contingency service was currently achieving a single weekly collection of mixed waste for "most households".He also said new waste vehicles, described as "cleaner, greener and safer", were already being used by the council. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Birmingham bin strike talks break down as council reaches ‘absolute limit' in pay offer
Talks to end Birmingham 's six-month bin strike have broken down as the city council announced it had reached the 'absolute limit' of what it can offer to resolve the dispute. Members of Unite, which is representing the workers, have been on an all-out strike since early March, leading to rubbish piling up in the streets of the city. The union began the strike after alleging that the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles would mean 170 workers would face losing up to £8,000 a year. The council said the change was necessary as part of a restructuring effort aimed at improving the service and complying with the Environmental Act 2021. The city's recycling rate, at 22.9 per cent, is the lowest of any unitary authority in the country with the exception of Liverpool. If it fails to meet the government's target rate of 65 per cent by 2035, it could face a reduction in grant funding. Council leader John Cotton said in a statement on Wednesday: 'Throughout this process the council has sought to be reasonable and flexible, but we have reached the absolute limit of what we can offer. 'We have negotiated in good faith but unfortunately Unite has rejected all offers so we must now press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service. This is a service that has not been good enough for a long time and we must improve it. 'Unite's demands would leave us with another equal pay bill of hundreds of millions of pounds, which is totally unacceptable, and would jeopardise the considerable progress we have made in our financial recovery. 'We must be fair to all our staff, and I will not repeat the mistakes of the past by making decisions that would ultimately result in further cuts to services and the sale of more council assets.' Conciliation service Acas has been mediating talks between the two groups since May. Spokesperson Kevin Rowan said: "It's unfortunate that this round of talks have concluded without resolution. Acas remains available to both parties should the situation change."
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Birmingham bin strike talks break down as council quits
Talks over Birmingham's bin strike have broken down with the council leader saying negotiations have "run out of time".Conciliation service Acas had been involved in trying to settle the dispute between Unite union members since May, but leader John Cotton said the authority had "reached the absolute limit" of what it could of rubbish have been seen across the city, since bin collection workers walked out in January, with an all-out strike going on since said the council had negotiated in good faith but the union had rejected all offers and must now "press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service." This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
The Sun
07-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
Mountains of rubbish STILL litter Birmingham pavements six months into bin strike
MOUNTAINS of rubbish littered the pavements in Birmingham yesterday — six months into the city's unprecedented bin strike. Locals say their life has been made a misery by the foul smells in the UK's second-largest city. 4 4 Bethany Campbell, 22, of Selly Oak, said: 'The place stinks, it looks atrocious and residents just feel they are being forgotten about. 'Nobody should live like this in modern Britain.' The Unite union began the strikes in January after pay cuts of up to £8,000. They have a mandate until December. Union boss Sharon Graham vowed to remain 'relentless' to get a deal. The council is running contingency arrangements and is still negotiating. A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: "The council recognises the significant impact that industrial action has had on the people and communities of Birmingham and thanks every resident for their continued patience under difficult circumstances. "The council is grateful for the community groups who are working to clear waste and helping their fellow residents during this challenging time. "The council remains committed to resolving the industrial action in the best interest of all parties involved." Birmingham's rat problem will get worse before it gets better says 'The Verminator' taking on rodents in UK 'third world city' 4 4
BBC News
21-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bin strike during heatwave gives Birmingham locals 'the ick'
It has been more than 100 days since Birmingham's bin workers began their all-out the country is in a heatwave, and the last thing residents need is rubbish piling up in the streets."It just adds to the 'ick' of the city now, I think the whole city and the reputation of Birmingham on a whole, everyone's just having such a big negative impact," said Sadia a volunteer for a park in Balsall Heath, one of the worst affected areas during the strike, she said she had seen fly-tipping soar. "It just puts you off really, it's quite depressing," she said."It's really destroying people's mental wellbeing."Many have complained the heatwave has made things worse - with the stench from overflowing bins forcing some to put extra bags around already-bagged rubbish in an attempt to contain the indefinite industrial action officially started on 11 March, but collectors have been striking on-and-off since has led to reports of rat infestations, and rubbish strewn across streets as animals have clawed their way into bin bags. Steve Message, who lives in Hockley, said missed collections had meant nappies, food and other rubbish being strewn across the road."My neighbour can't open her windows because the piles of rubbish are near where she lives, and the flies, it's a fly-fest.""People are putting more and more bags on top of bags which haven't been collected."The black bin bags were being ripped open by cats, squirrels, foxes, he said."There are hundreds of bluebottles everywhere. It's a public health issue, it's not good to have stinking rubbish and all these flies spreading disease." Jonathan Yu, who lives on a new estate in Selly Oak, said his bins had not been collected since March – although the council disputes this."We have to hold our nose every time we step out [of the house]," he has been taking his bin bags to work with him, to dispose of them in commercial waste added that it was "really, really hard" to get a booking at a recycling centre, and that appointments needed to be booked about a week in said he understood the bin workers' reasons for striking, but wanted the problem to be Yu said he felt people in neighbouring areas to his had been getting their bins collected, and that "posh areas" seemed to be getting a better service. Birmingham City Council said since taking legal action to prevent striking bin workers from delaying trucks leaving depots, it had collected more than 33,000 tonnes of rubbish. In a video posted on social media, council leader John Cotton said the authority was working to "clear the backlog of waste".He added the authority had "put a new deal on the table" to end the industrial action.A Unite spokesperson said earlier this week that the latest deal had been presented two weeks ago, with the union saying at that time the proposal had been "watered down" from a "ballpark offer" made at conciliation from the union claim changes to how rubbish is collected in the city will see up to 170 workers face an £8,000 annual pay cut, but the council disputes this, saying 17 people could lose up to £6,000 a year. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
