According to Unite the Union, agency staff employed by Job & Talent on the city’s refuse contract have voted to join the action, allowing them to join official picket lines from 1 December 2025.
The council, however, commented that Unite currently have a limited number of members working for J&T on the BCC contract who have been balloted for industrial action.
This marked what the union described as a “real escalation” in the row.
It followed a separate vote by directly employed refuse workers to extend strike action again, meaning stoppages could continue past May 2026.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham commented: “This is a real escalation in the dispute with agency workers now joining picket lines due to the terrible way they have been treated by Job and Talent and Birmingham council.
“Agency and directly employed workers alike in Birmingham council’s refuse service have the union’s complete and utter support.”
‘Our contingency plan is working’
A spokesperson for the Council said: “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 and our contingency plan is working.
“We have been collecting an average of approximately 1,330 tonnes of kerbside waste every day, more than we did prior to industrial action, and over the last six months we have collected over 100,000 tonnes of kerbside waste.
“There has been a 22% increase in tonnage of waste collected per employee and a 52% improvement regarding missed collections.
“A small number of agency staff are in a separate dispute with Job & Talent. The city council has contingency plans and will continue to look to maintain residents with a minimum of one collection a week.”
Ongoing dispute over pay and role cuts
Unite’s members, who include hundreds of the city’s refuse workers, began industrial action in January 2025 over ongoing disagreements with the council regarding pay and working conditions.
The industrial action escalated into all-out strikes on 11 March 2025, with refuse collections heavily affected across the city.
Last month, Unite confirmed that its members had voted “overwhelmingly” to extend their strike mandate until March 2026, raising the prospect of continued disruption to waste collections into next spring.
Birmingham City Council has said it remains committed to transforming its refuse service and resolving the dispute.
The dispute went to court at a hearing in London on 16 October 2025 over claims that the union breached an injunction related to the city’s waste services.
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