{"id":818022,"date":"2026-03-11T03:27:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T03:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/818022\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T03:27:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T03:27:28","slug":"birmingham-bins-strike-reaches-another-milestone-one-year-since-all-out-indefinite-strike-declared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/818022\/","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham bins strike reaches another milestone – one year since all-out indefinite strike declared"},"content":{"rendered":"

But the story of why the the industrial action continues to rumble on with seemingly no end in sight goes back several years.<\/p>\n

The bins strike was unsurprisingly a major talking point at last month\u2019s city council budget meeting, where leader John Cotton argued that issues with the waste service had plagued the council for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n

\"BirminghamBirmingham Council leader Coun John Cotton at the budget meeting on Tuesday, February 24. Credit: Alexander Brock<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not repeat the mistakes of the past,\u201d the Labour council leader said. \u201cMistakes made by the three main parties in this chamber.<\/p>\n

\"ProtestersProtesters at the Birmingham bins strike ‘megapicket’ at Lifford Lane depot on Friday, May 9. Taken by LDR Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeals brokered by the Tories and Liberal Democrats in 2008 and 2011 and by my own party in 2017 and 2019 did not modernise the service \u2013 or result in lasting industrial harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AnAn enormous pile of bin bags and rubbish in Balsall Heath on Tuesday, April 1. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

These past events form the backdrop for the current strike, which also ties to the financial crisis which engulfed the council and left it declaring itself effectively \u2018bankrupt\u2019 in September 2023.<\/p>\n

\"AA pile of bin bags in the Selly Park area of Birmingham. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

There were a number of reasons for this disastrous situation \u2013 an equal pay debacle and the disastrous implementation of an IT system at the Labour-run council are among the major ones.<\/p>\n

\"KateKate Taylor, from the NEU and Brum Rise Up campaign, at the Birmingham bins strike ‘megapicket’. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

The city council has suggested that the proposed transformation of the waste service will move it in line with national practice and was not related to its debt.<\/p>\n

\"PiledPiled up bin bags in Kitchener Road, Selly Park on Friday, May 23. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also been described as an important aspect of the council\u2019s financial recovery plan and a way to make necessary savings.<\/p>\n

\"BinBin bags line the pavement in Pershore Road on May 23. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.\"AA giant inflatable rat at the Birmingham bins strike ‘megapicket’ at Lifford Lane depot on Friday, May 9. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

Plans to \u2018modernise\u2019 the service soon drew anger from a number of bin workers, particularly over the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role which came about as a result of a previous strike.<\/p>\n

Unite the union claimed that certain workers faced a pay cut of \u00a38,000, a figure the council has disputed, and with the two parties unable to reach a resolution, the strike officially got under way in January 2025.<\/p>\n

\"BirminghamBirmingham Council managing director Joanne Roney speaks about the bins strike dispute at a finance scrutiny meeting on January 6. Credit: Council webcast.<\/p>\n

The shockwaves were soon felt by residents in the following weeks, with recycling collections being suspended by the council in February \u2013 they are yet to resume 13 months later.<\/p>\n

The dispute then escalated into an \u201cindefinite\u201d all-out strike from March 11 \u2013 a move which contributed to massive heaps of stinking rubbish piling up in city streets; fears over rats and negative headlines about the city appeared on news outlets worldwide.<\/p>\n

\"BirminghamBirmingham bins strike protesters bring a full council meeting to a halt on Tuesday, November 4. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

The following months were a turbulent chapter in the city\u2019s history, with Birmingham City Council declaring a major incident to clear a backlog of around 17,000 tonnes of uncollected waste.<\/p>\n

\"BirminghamBirmingham bins strike protesters bring a full council meeting to a halt on Tuesday, November 4. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS)<\/a> covered the twists and turns of the saga in the following months, whether it was covering \u2018mega-pickets\u2019 outside depots or interviewing a man in a giant rat costume at a council meeting.<\/p>\n

We also spoke to residents affected by the strike, with one Balsall Heath local describing living near a huge rubbish pile as \u201chell\u201d.<\/p>\n

The LDRS spoke to national politicians who found themselves pulled into the story too, with former local government minister Jim McMahon insisting that Birmingham <\/a>\u201cwill always have a reputation of being a fantastic, thriving city\u201d despite the negative headlines.<\/p>\n

\"BinsBins strike protest signs outside Birmingham Council House on February 24. Credit: Alexander Brock<\/p>\n

We also covered a number of meetings throughout the year which saw furious interruptions from bins strike protesters in the public gallery and angry questions directed towards the council leader.<\/p>\n

After months of disruption, the council revealed last summer that negotiations with Unite had come to an end, saying at the time it had \u2018reached the absolute limit of what we can offer\u2019 amid equal pay fears.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe bins strike ‘megapicket’ at the Perry Barr depot in Birmingham on Friday, January 30. Unite member Mike Masters addresses the crowd. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

Unite has claimed that a \u201cball park\u201d deal had been agreed last year after hours of discussions but added this figure could not get past the government-appointed commissioners, previously sent in to oversee the council\u2019s financial recovery.<\/p>\n

The union says it rejected a new offer, claiming it was much lower compared to the \u201cball park\u201d figure, before negotiations stopped.<\/p>\n

The strike has dragged on into its second year since that moment, with negotiations not resuming between the two parties despite calls to restart them by Unite and opposition councillors.<\/p>\n

The council\u2019s managing director Joanne Roney said recently there were equal pay and financial considerations for the council which presented \u2018incredibly difficult hurdles\u2019.<\/p>\n

When could the Birmingham bins strike end?\"'Oscar‘Oscar the Grouch’ at the Birmingham bins strike rally on Tuesday, January 27. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

After months and months of strike action, attention has turned to what could happen next and when it could finally end amid the current deadlock.<\/p>\n

Striking bin workers and their supporters are prepared to continue their industrial action and protests into September at least while costs at the city council continue to ramp up.<\/p>\n

A recent report revealed that forecast one-off and direct costs of the strike will total \u00a314.6 million if it continues to the end of March.<\/p>\n

The council meanwhile is taking action to minimise disruption, with the High Court recently granting the authority an injunction \u2018against persons unknown to tackle blockading or obstruction\u2019 at its waste depots.<\/p>\n

The bins strike is also set to loom over the local elections in May, which will decide which party or coalition runs Birmingham City Council over the next four years.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Birmingham bins strike rally on January 27. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

Labour candidates will be keen to argue that a \u2018fair and reasonable offer\u2019 had been made to Unite and that funding cuts during the previous Conservative government played a role in the council\u2019s financial crisis.<\/p>\n

They will also likely suggest that the tag of \u2018bankrupt Birmingham\u2019 has been ditched after the council\u2019s massive budget gap was closed.<\/p>\n

But bins strike protesters have already issued a warning to Birmingham Labour, arguing it faces paying a heavy price if the situation is not resolved by the time voters head to the polls.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the future of the waste service, the council has said transformation plans \u2013 including the return of recycling collections \u2013 will now be rolled out in phases across the city from June onwards, regardless of whether the strike is happening or not.<\/p>\n

That would be around 15 months after they were first suspended.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course we all want a resolution [for the bins strike dispute] but I have been clear throughout that I will not put this council\u2019s future financial stability at risk,\u201d council leader John Cotton told February\u2019s budget meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy commitment remains for a negotiated settlement \u2013 but not one at any price.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not repeat the mistakes of the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Birmingham bins strike rally on Tuesday, January 27. Credit: Alexander Brock. Permission for use for all LDRS partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meantime, we have a plan to bring back recycling and green waste, and to introduce food waste recycling in the months ahead \u2013 with a pilot launching in a matter of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

So it looks like the story of the Birmingham bins strike, the origins of which arguably date back several years, isn\u2019t over just yet.<\/p>\n

But whatever happens, the LDRS will continue to bring you the latest developments as the situation continues to unfold in the coming months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But the story of why the the industrial action continues to rumble on with seemingly no end in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":818023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,393,728,4884,8823,379,12,285,16,15],"class_list":["post-818022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-birmingham","tag-birmingham","tag-britain","tag-england","tag-environment","tag-great-britain","tag-ldrs","tag-local-hubs","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116208419466337906","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=818022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/818022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/818023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=818022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=818022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=818022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}