THE BIRMINGHAM bin strikers are fighting against an attempt by the leaders of their union, Unite, to call off their more than one-year-long struggle and accept the massive £8,000 pay cut that they have been resisting.
Striker and Unite member Paul Jackson condemned what he described as a ‘betrayal’, yesterday, telling News Line: ‘This was never about a pay-off. All along we’ve been fighting against attempts to downgrade us and cut our pay by £8,000 a year.
‘Now they want to sell off the grade and accept the payment of between £9-£16,000 compensation.
‘This so-called “ball-park deal” would be a real betrayal and an acceptance of the pay cut, which we will never do.
‘One thing they have forgotten is that the court injunction that was forced on us is no longer applicable because there is new council, so why don’t we resume mass picketing and stop the lorries?
‘We are being betrayed and not just by the council but by our own union, from right at the top.
‘This fight was always about keeping the grades and the money.
‘This deal is rubbish and I believe that if it is put to us we will reject it. The lads are not stupid.’
Unite put out the following press release last Friday: ‘Unite, the UK’s leading union, has welcomed the statements by former ACAS chair Lord Brendan Barber and Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker.
‘Both statements from two senior figures in the room over the months of negotiations with Unite and the leader of the council, are clear and unambiguous.
‘The negotiations between Barber, Parker, former leader of Birmingham council John Cotton and Unite general secretary Sharon Graham began in December 2025 and the deal was concluded in March 2026.
‘As Lord Barber has said, “Unelected officers and commissioners of the council attempting to cause delay is unacceptable.”
‘Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “As Lord Barber and Mayor Parker have both said, the deal to end this dispute has been negotiated and agreed.
“The continued attempts by unelected council officers and commissioners to block, delay and throw into doubt this deal is unacceptable and will simply not work.
“We look forward to the elected members of the council agreeing the process for the implementation of the deal, so the usual ballot of members can take place.
“Workers and residents have put up with enough of the constant dither and delay. This is a good deal for workers and residents and it needs to be swiftly finalised.”’
In contrast, striker Penny Robbins condemned Unite’s attempt to accept the downgrading of her job and those of her colleagues, telling News Line: ‘We’ve been fighting now for 17 months against being downgraded.
‘The grade 3s are being downgraded to grade 2, the grade 4s are being downgraded to grade 3 and that means losing thousands of pounds a year over a number of years.
‘Quite frankly, I don’t see the point of the compensation, the union should stand firm and continue to demand that there is no downgrading and no pay cut.
‘The strike should be maintained and the pay cut should be thrown out.’