Negotiations surrounding the Birmingham bin strike are expected to resume next week.<\/p>\n
The long running dispute over a removal of roles and pay has been ongoing since January, with all out industrial action from March 11.<\/p>\n
It is hoped a breakthrough could be reached between Unite, representing striking bin workers, and Birmingham City Council<\/a> – amid fears that the strike “could last until Christmas<\/a>“.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Travel chiefs give passengers four recommendations during scorching heatwave<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n BirminghamLive understands that negotiations will resume next week with potential developments announced.<\/p>\n ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, are mediating talks between both sides.<\/p>\n Earlier this week a furious man berated Council<\/a> leader John Cotton from the public gallery during a council meeting prompting it to be dramatically adjourned.<\/p>\n The man shouted: \u201cWould you take an \u00a38,000 pay cut Cotton?\u201d<\/p>\n Unite, who are representing almost 400 staff, said there was a near unanimous vote to continue industrial action.<\/p>\n It followed a “fair and reasonable” offer, according to the council, which was rejected by workers, at the start of this month.<\/p>\n No details were made official, but BirminghamLive understands that it involved compensation payment of “several thousands of pounds” and alternative jobs or voluntary redundancy.<\/p>\n But the union said it was not good enough. While the council said it continues to seek to resolve the dispute but the service has to be transformed “to one that the citizens of Birmingham<\/a> deserve”.<\/p>\n Unite members went on strike after it said the council removed 170 jobs held by Waste Recycling and Collection Officers (WRCO) on the bin crews as part of a service transformation.<\/p>\n Unite say that affected workers face pay cuts of up to \u00a38,000-per-year.<\/p>\n It also comes as the taxpayer has been stung for almost \u00a31m to cover the cost of policing picket lines during the Birmingham<\/a> bin strikes.<\/p>\n