Agency workers who are covering the binmen who are on strikes have now voted for strike action and will join the picket line on 1 December.
The Unite union has said that the agency staff are striking over “unsustainable workloads” and have made climes of “bullying and harassment.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a real escalation in the dispute with agency workers now joining picket lines due to the terrible way they have been treated by Job and Talent and Birmingham council.
She continued: “Birmingham council is spending a fortune it doesn’t have on a dispute that could easily be resolved by agreeing a fair deal for workers.”
Unite does what it says on the trade union tin we are totally committed to fighting for the jobs, pay and conditions of all its members.
Agency and directly employed workers alike in Birmingham council’s refuse service have the union’s complete and utter support.
A Birmingham City Council spokesman previously said: “We strongly refute Unite’s claims of a ‘toxic workplace culture‘ at our waste depots which are unfounded.
Our agency workforce have been crucial to delivering a consistent waste service during this strike, with improved reliability for residents.
Transformation of the city’s waste service began in 2024. Part of this transformation includes initiatives to enhance our waste colleagues’ progression and training opportunities alongside work to foster a positive and collaborative working environment.
Managers regularly engage with workforce through ‘check-ins’ and one-to-ones, and we have also invested in new welfare facilities for our agency workforce.
The council spokesman added, “Our crews’ and contractors’ workloads are in line with industry standards, with crew performance monitored to ensure collection standards are met.
Crews are supported throughout their employment, and the management team work in partnership with the agency and the collection crews to jointly review targets.
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