Hundreds of bin workers, their supporters and unions marched through Birmingham to Victoria Square<\/a> today, September 20, protesting the ongoing dispute<\/a> with the city council.<\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Birmingham bin strike protest live as hundreds take to city centre<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: <\/strong>Birmingham nightclub shooting live as four injured and man fights for life<\/a><\/p>\n In an interview with BirminghamLive at the rally, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham insisted that striking workers had not lost any leverage with the strike as a result of agency workers being called in.<\/p>\n She urged the government to step in and end bitter nine-month bin action as negotians between the union and council have stopped.<\/p>\n Formal redundancy consultation remains under way with around 170 bin truck driver leaders affected by plans to downgrade their role. Some have accepted voluntary redundancy or moved roles.<\/p>\n Birmingham City Council leader <\/a>John Cotton most recently said that ‘extensive negotiations’ had broken down because Unite had ‘unfortunately’ rejected offers.<\/p>\n The council boss added that presented proposals were not acceptable to the council ‘given the absolute priority to protect our financial situation and not to further imperil our situation with regard to equal pay’, with the could having to pay out millions so far in pay claims in other departments.<\/p>\n Feeling among striking workers<\/strong><\/p>\n Sharon Graham: “Workers are feeling buoyant because they are feeling together and collected in what we are trying to do here.<\/p>\n “This is about workers. Some of these people have been drivers for 20 years, woke up one morning and were told they had to take an \u00a38,000 pay cut, that is a quarter of some of theses drivers’ pay.”<\/p>\n The union boss also called on the government to “make sure the deal is done.”<\/p>\n On Unite returning to the table<\/strong><\/p>\n Sharon Graham: “With negotiations with the council, it is difficult to see how that continues. I came into the negotiations after five months of absolutely no movement.”<\/p>\n Of previous negotiations, she claimed: “The council’s managing director Joanne Roney came into the room, we thrashed out a deal at ACAS, she was going away to bring that deal back and messages me to say<\/a> that government commissioners wouldn’t allow it to go through.”<\/p>\n Q – Could [former Birmingham lead commissioner] Max Caller’s<\/a> retirement pave the way for a new deal?<\/strong><\/p>\n “The government need to pull up their sleeves, get in, be curious, not just listen to what the leader of the council is saying,” Sharon said.<\/p>\n She claimed: “John Cotton previously said nobody had to lose any money,<\/a> I knew that wasn’t true, I had seen what was happening to these workers.<\/p>\n “Latterly, he admitted that wasn’t true. The government needs to get in there and find out what’s happening because these workers need that deal on the table so they can vote on it and get back to work.”<\/p>\n A BBC exclusive <\/a>in June reported that the leader of Birmingham City Council had “admitted for the first time some refuse workers will lose money under plans to reform the service.”<\/p>\n Q- Have Unite lost leverage with agency workers keeping the streets clean?<\/strong><\/p>\n “You should ask the residents,” Sharon said.. “It’s not a coincidence that only five percent of Birmingham residents have said they are going to vote Labour in the local elections.<\/p>\n “There are black bin bags in corners, rubbish stinking, there has been no recycling for months, it’s hardly a normal operation. It’s costing millions of pounds so there’s no best value to residents.”<\/p>\n Q – We’re coming up to Christmas collections, you voted to extend into March 2026, can a deal be done?<\/strong><\/p>\n “Absolutely, the deal is there to be done,” Sharon said.<\/p>\n “We were in ACAS and the ballpark deal was on the table, what they need to do is put that deal on the table, so we can put it back to the workers, that deal was done in June of this year,” she claimed.<\/p>\n She also urged Birmingham City Council to involve the government to get a deal sorted.<\/p>\n She added: “I think residents have been hugely patient with the council, I think they are sick to the back teeth.”<\/p>\n Q – The council has always maintained that if they give bin workers the deal, it would open the door to more equal pay claims. What is your response?<\/strong><\/p>\n “My response is it must be absolute toffee,” Sharon said.<\/p>\n She claimed: “If the council’s managing director puts a ball-park deal down on the table and later says she can’t put the deal there, she must have thought this deal was ok to put down.”<\/p>\n She emphasised the deal that was carved out in the summer should be put back to members.<\/p>\n Birmingham City Council previously told us that focussing on who was in the room was a “total red herring.”<\/a><\/p>\n Birmingham City Council latest<\/p>\n Confirming its current position, a Birmingham City Council<\/a> spokesperson 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 as we prepare to implement the new and improved service.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_WhatsApp-Image-2025-09-20-at-112924jpeg.jpg\")
‘Back the strike’ calls at the Birmingham bin workers protestUnite general secretary Sharon Graham<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_JS381743240.jpg\")
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham at the march to Birmingham City Council house on September 20(Image: Naomi de Souza \/ BirminghamLive)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_protest.jpg\")
Hundreds at the Birmingham bin strike protest<\/p>\n