Union slams 'ridiculous' fortnight collection plan

Plans to introduce fortnightly bin collections in Birmingham nine months into ongoing industrial action have been branded "ridiculous" by the Unite union.

The city council has proposed moving from weekly to fortnightly waste collections, alongside reinstating recycling services and introducing weekly food waste collections.

Unite, which is backing striking workers, has urged the council to focus on resolving the dispute over pay and jobs rather than pressing ahead with service changes.

A council spokesperson said: "We want to resolve this dispute, but we also need to move forward with improving the service."

Due to the ongoing walkouts, residents across the city have been left without recycling collections since the start of the year.

Onay Kasab, the Unite national lead officer, said: "These plans are ridiculous — what the council should be concentrating on is resolving this dispute so its own workforce can go out and provide a full waste service.

"Instead, the council is planning to hire a new temporary workforce, wasting even more money than it is already."

The proposed changes to the service include a second 180-litre recycling bin for residents, and are subject to cabinet approval on 9 December.

From 1 April next year, every local authority in England will be legally required to collect food waste unless it has been granted an extension by the government.

A Defra spokesperson confirmed it had invested £300m to support councils with weekly food collections.

"While local authorities will have the flexibility to deliver these reforms in the best way for their council areas and residents, we still expect them to take all reasonable steps to meet their statutory obligations," a spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, Strike Map — a group of trade union activists — launched a petition calling for an end to the bin strike, backed by 115 Labour MPs and councillors nationwide.

Responding to the petition, Birmingham City Council said: "This service must be transformed into one that citizens deserve, and we cannot delay any longer.

"We have been reasonable and flexible throughout, but Unite has rejected all our offers.

"Our contingency plan is working, and household waste is being collected as scheduled. For clarity, this ballot was not about new negotiations or offers, but part of Unite's practice of refreshing mandates for industrial action during disputes."

The industrial action started following a dispute about the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles.

The union initially claimed about 170 affected workers faced losing up to £8,000 a year because of the decision, but the council disputed those figures.

The local authority said the number of staff that could lose the maximum amount (just over £6,000) was 17 people, and they would have pay protection for six months.

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