In a statement released today (3 August), the local authority said that discussions continue to take place with Unite, the trade union representing the crews, in an effort to “resolve the dispute with the unions as quickly as possible”.
The collection strike has attracted the attention of the national press, including the BBC, which has highlighted the community groups cleaning some streets of waste which has been piling up since the dispute began on 30 June.
Half
The council said that it had “continued to build on the clear-up that started last week” and by the end of yesterday (3 August) will have cleared half of the city’s 8,200 streets.
A Birmingham city council spokesperson explained: “We are adopting a different approach that does not involve the regular collection schedules, with the aim of having dealt with 100% of wards by the end of next week.”
The spokesperson added: “We fully appreciate this has been a frustrating time for citizens and we thank them for their ongoing patience as we seek to resolve the dispute with the unions as quickly as possible.”
Restructuring
The dispute involves restructuring plans that Unite says will threaten the jobs of 121 refuse collectors, although the council has said that alternative employment opportunities may be available for displaced staff.
According to the council, the changes will also involve moving from crews operating on four days per week, working a nine-hour day, to working five, shorter days per week. The council is also seeking to use fewer agency staff to complete rounds.
“This has always been about delivering a reliable, efficient and value for money waste collection services for the people of Birmingham,” said the city council spokesperson.
The authority has previously said that it has compared performance of the Birmingham workforce against other councils and found that “it is clear we are not meeting national productivity levels and that we need to improve”.
And, in June, Birmingham said that “at the moment 200 out of 595 employees in refuse collection are hired from agencies. We intend to replace agency staff with up to 246 full-time staff employed directly by the council. All of these new permanent employees will enjoy the associated benefits that come with working for the council such as pension, holiday entitlement and sick pay”.
An updated statement is expected from Unite soon.
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