Council warns pay deal could reopen equal pay dispute

National World - LocalTV

Birmingham’s bins strike has left the city struggling with overflowing waste, fly-tipping, and rats. Bin workers have walked out over pay and job downgrades, but the council warns meeting their demands could reopen equal pay claims. Talks continue, but with no resolution, opposition councillors want plans to switch to fortnightly collections paused.

Transcript

00:00Birmingham's bin strike has left streets piled high with rubbish as workers walk out indefinitely

00:06over pay and job downgrades.

00:08The council says it has made a fair and reasonable offer but Unite argues bin workers deserve

00:14better.

00:15400 staff are taking part in the strike and with no resolution, the disruption could stretch

00:20on for months.

00:21The Labour-run council has been under financial strain since declaring effective bankruptcy

00:25last year.

00:26Financial pay claims played a major role in that collapse and now council leaders

00:30warn that meeting bin workers' demands could reignite the issue, creating fresh financial

00:36risks.

00:37Unite says there's a solution, introduce a new job rule with fair pay, but the council

00:42insists most staff have accepted alternative positions.

00:45Dozens haven't.

00:46Talks have been held, with more planned, but neither side is backing down.

00:51Meanwhile, opposition councillors want plans to switch to fortnightly bin collections put

00:55on hold.

00:56They say changing the system now while industrial action continues will make the waste crisis

01:02worse.

01:03The council disagrees, arguing that waste collection reforms are key to fixing the service

01:07long term.

01:08The council had planned to move neighbourhoods across Birmingham to fortnightly collections,

01:13alongside a new weekly food waste collection and an extra recycling bin.

01:18Residents and businesses are left dealing with the fallout, overflowing bins are causing

01:22hygiene concerns and for those in flats or shared housing, the problem is even worse.

01:28Floor tipping hotspots have worsened, with piles of waste dumped in open spaces.

01:34The council says it's committed to finding a resolution and getting services back on

01:38track, but until a deal is struck, the mess on Birmingham streets is only getting worse.

Category

Transcript

Recommended