Union stages agency bin workers protest.

Bin workers in Birmingham protested the city council’s usage of agency workers. Members of the Unite union went on strike over six months ago over salary and plans to downgrade certain job roles.

About 30 union members demonstrated outside the headquarters of an employment agency in the city, claiming that the council exploited it to keep services running during the strike.

According to the city council and the agency Job&Talent, the number of agency workers hired has remained unchanged since the strike began.

According to Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, the employment agency has been “prolonging the dispute by providing agency labour to try and undermine the strike”.

However, she clarified: “It won’t work – strikes will continue with Unite’s full support until a fair deal is reached for these workers.” The council stated on multiple occasions that their usage of agency staff had not grown.

Talks to address the situation recently fell down, with the municipal council announcing that it was “walking away” from negotiations last month.

The authority continued: “While we are disappointed the dispute has not been resolved as Unite has rejected all our offers, we are continuing to make regular waste collections as we prepare to implement the new and improved service.”

It stated that its contingency measures were effective and that it was collecting an average of 1,330 tonnes of kerbside rubbish per day, which was more than it did prior to the industrial action.

It also stated that it was using a new fleet of vehicles with safety features such as cameras to “boost visibility and protect both crews and the public”. Job&Talent stated in a statement that “all staffing practices related to the three refuse depots across Birmingham are fully compliant with all applicable legislation”.

The company additionally stated that it was “open to constructive dialogue with all stakeholders” and made it clear it would “continue to act responsibly in supporting both clients and workers throughout this period” .

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