Birmingham’s bin strike has entered its eleventh week with no resolution in sight. Unite the union has accused the City Council and government commissioners of mishandling talks, while the council claims it’s working towards a revised offer. Protesters disrupted a mayoral ceremony in anger over proposed pay cuts of up to £8,000.
00:01Eleven weeks into an all-out strike, rubbish still lines Birmingham Street
00:06and the Biddens dispute shows no sign of being resolved.
00:09At the heart of the walkout is a dispute over job downgrades.
00:13The council wants to scrap the role of Waste Recycling and Collection Officer.
00:17Unite the Union says that change would leave around 150 workers facing pie cuts of up to £8,000.
00:25The council disputes those numbers but hasn't denied that some workers would be affected.
00:30What began in January as occasional walkouts escalated in March into full industrial action.
00:37At its worst some 21,000 tonnes of waste was left on the city streets.
00:42Since early May both sides have returned to the negotiating table with conciliation service ICAS overseeing the talks.
00:49But Unite sides the council missed its own deadline to submit a formal offer.
00:54The union accused both council leaders and government appointed commissioners of botching the negotiations.
01:00The council, still under pressure following its effective bankruptcy, says it's trying to reach a deal that won't open it up to more risk.
01:08A revised offer has been promised. So far it hasn't been delivered.
01:13Frustration is bubbling over into politics. Protesters supporting striking workers disrupted the recent law mayor ceremony.
01:21Shouting from the gallery about lost wages and lost homes.
01:25The former mayor demanded that they sit down and be removed.
01:29For many this dispute is about more than bins. It's about trust, power and whether working people are once again being made to pay the price for council mismanagement.
01:39For now, the rubbish pause remain and so does the stalemate.
01:43For all this dispute is about granted, reducing services like Statenet
