Talks to halt bins strike end without deal

Talks aimed at ending a strike by refuse collectors have ended without a breakthrough.

Members of Unite in Birmingham launched an all-out strike earlier this month in a long-running dispute over pay.

Rubbish has been piling up across the city, with bins remaining unemptied for weeks, while residents have complained that rats are rummaging through the bins, leading to fears of a public health emergency.

On Tuesday, nearly 400 council bin workers in the city began indefinite strike action, with the Unite union saying the Labour-run city council could end the dispute “by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay”.

Union officials met council officers on Thursday but the strike continues.

A Unite spokesperson said: “The talks were inconclusive. There was an exchange of information and Unite asked for clarity on a number of points raised by the council, which are currently being worked on.

“It was agreed that there would be further regular negotiations but dates for further talks have not yet been set.”

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “Birmingham City Council and Unite met this afternoon to discuss the current industrial action.

“Whilst no resolution was reached today, there are points for discussion, the tone was constructive and we are working on the matters raised.

“We have contacted Unite representatives to schedule the series of future meeting dates.”

The council had previously said the “escalation” of industrial action would mean greater disruption to residents despite a “fair and reasonable offer” made to Unite members.

Conservative councillor for Edgbaston Deirdre Alden said the excess rubbish around the city had caused an “explosion” in the local rat population.

“I have heard reports of rats in gardens, in rubbish bins and eating the cables in people’s cars – it’s like something out of the Pied Piper Of Hamelin,” she said.

The industrial action was referenced in Parliament on Thursday, with an MP saying that “rats the size of cats”, named the Squeaky Blinders, as a result of the strikes are “not welcome” beyond Birmingham’s boundaries.

Conservative former minister Wendy Morton told MPs that West Midlanders fear fly-tipping throughout the region because of the strikes and that local authorities are taking a “proactive and determined approach” to tackling it.

The trade union has claimed ending the waste collection and recycling officer role has hit 150 workers with pay cuts of up to £8,000, which the local authority has disputed.

According to Birmingham City Council, the number of staff that could lose the maximum amount of just over £6,000 is 17 and a town hall spokesperson said their “door is still open” for Unite to “come back to the table”.

West Midlands Police said on Wednesday that the force had been working with partners, including Birmingham City Council, during the strike and that two people had been arrested.

One man was arrested for drugs possession on Monday and referred for drug treatment, while a second man was arrested on Tuesday for obstruction and was cautioned, police said.