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Union bosses claim agency staff were told they must cross the picket to be in with a chance of a permanent job
14:26, 01 Dec 2025Updated 14:29, 01 Dec 2025
Rubbish piled up after Birmingham City Council suspended collections in an ongoing dispute with workers (Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)
- Birmingham bin collections have been suspended today (December 1) as agency workers join council employees on strike.
- All-out strikes by council-employed bin workers began in March and are ongoing. Members of the Unite trade union walked out in the dispute with Birmingham City Council over pay and jobs.
- Now agency workers hired to cover the backlog have joined workers at pickets amid allegations of ‘bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting.’ Unite claims a manager was caught on camera telling workers that council chiefs would ban them from getting permanent jobs if they refused to cross picket lines.
- Unite's general secretary, Sharon Graham, claimed the council was engaging in appalling treatment of its workforce by creating a league table ranking the agency workers' driving performance.
- Workers have held pickets outside three bin depots in the city; Smithfield, Atlas and Perry’s Barr leading to Birmingham City Council suspending bin collections. The council said the decision was made due to expected mass pickets and that it hopes collections will on Tuesday.
- Meanwhile, bags of rubbish have started to pile up in the streets. Pest controllers have said they have seen a 50% rise in callouts since the dispute began earlier this year.
- Birmingham City Council acknowledged a separate dispute with a small number of agency staff and stated it has contingency plans to maintain a minimum of one collection per week. The council expressed disappointment that the dispute had not been resolved but emphasised its commitment to long overdue service improvements for residents.
- The union asserts that the dispute will only be resolved when the council stops fighting and puts forward a fair deal for all bin workers.
- Read the full story: Birmingham bin collections suspended as 'mass protests' cripple service - Mirror Online