Birmingham Bin Strike Latest

THE Birmingham bin strike has eight days more to run in theory, yet the unions are balloting for yet more action.
Rubbish is piling up on the city streets and has been since the strike began eary in the summer, but the current strike - which finished off Birmingham City Council leader John Clancy - expires on September 21 .
However, a ballot for more action is expected to complete on September 18 - and union leaders have previously threatened strikes could go into next year.
Meanwhile, union Unite is due in the High Court tomorrow seeking an injunction against the 113 redundancies handed out by Birmingham City Council on September 1.
The staff affected are currently on three months notice from that date - meaning they lose their jobs at the end of November.  Unite's legal action is aimed at blocking those redundancies.
The union is arguing it made a deal with the city council through ACAS and it should be bound by that.
Unite’s bin workers are currently striking for a total of three hours a day. Workers are also returning to the depot for all lunch and tea breaks in line with Birmingham Council’s hygiene policy.
Unite is currently re-balloting its member for further strike action, as required by anti-trade union laws, the ballot will close on September 18. If as expected Unite’s members renew their strike mandate the industrial action will continue until the New Year.
Unite’s bin workers are currently striking for a total of three hours a day.  Workers are also returning to the depot for all lunch and tea breaks in line with Birmingham Council’s hygiene policy.

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Birmingham Labour Leader Quits

BIRMINGHAM City Council leader John Clancy has resigned following the city's bin dispute disaster  admitting he has made mistakes.
The Labour leader’s resignation comes as a direct result of his handling of the bin strike - in particular the recriminations following the aborted deal he struck with the Unite union in mid-August.

When his efforts to end the damaging dispute failed he tried to shift blame to the Unite union, claiming there never was deal.
This was then contradicted in both a leaked email he sent to bin depot staff and a statement from the conciliation service Acas.
He was accused of overstepping his authority, souring relations with unions and senior council staff and ignoring crucial legal advice in trying to force through the deal.
A string of Labour colleagues, both in private and in public, called for him to go.
But in his resignation statement Councillor Clancy blamed what he called the ‘frenzied media speculation’ for his decision to go.
He added: 'I wish to stress that the actions I took along with my cabinet to negotiate an end to an extremely complex and difficult industrial dispute were done with the best of intentions. None of us are perfect, and I made some mistakes, for which I am sorry and take full responsibility.'
It was his bad management of the bitter bin strike, which began on June 30, that prompted direct intervention of the Government and senior Labour Party figures which finally led to his downfall.

Unite says Chief Executive should go!

Meanwhile Howard Beckett, assistant general secretary of the Unite Union says that the council chief executive Stella Manzie, who he blames for the collapse of the deal, should follow the leader and resign.
He said:  'The interim chief executive has lost the trust of Birmingham city council’s workforce and the people of Birmingham. Time and again through her action Stella Manzie has shown herself to be dishonourable.'

A key element in the collapse of the deal is the threat of costly equal pay action had the council agreed to allow 113 redundancy threatened binmen to remain on their current pay grade. Unite argue that extra duties can be added to justify the grade, but council lawyers said that such a move would be rejected by the courts.

The council’s deputy leader Ian Ward, has taken over as interim leader.

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Bin strike victory protects ‘vital’ safety role

sent from former council worker & Unite member, Joe Bailey

UNITE has said last week’s victory in the long running Birmingham bins dispute has protected a vital safety role.  The union said that the city council had accepted the refuse workers’ case and restored the grade 3 jobs, which are responsible for safety at the rear of the refuse vehicles, leading to the suspension of the industrial action.  Unite said the union and the city council would hold further talks at the conciliation service Acas to resolve outstanding issues. 

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said: “We are very pleased that we have reached the stage where we can suspend the industrial action while we hold further talks about the future of the refuse service.”  He added: “The council has addressed our members’ concerns, including the safeguarding of the grade 3 post that is vital to the safety at the rear of the refuse vehicles. Unite also welcomes the fact that our suspended rep is now returning to work.” 

The vehicle safety risks to the public and refuse workers has led to the introduction of specific new laws in in the US.  Last year, New York State become the latest in the US to introduce a ‘slow down’ law to protect garbage workers.  Slow down laws had already been introduced in 11 other states over the last decade in response to distracted driving that has led to sometimes fatal incidents for refuse collection workers.

Ÿ  Unite news release. BBC News Online. ITV News.

Birmingham Bin Strike: Council Back Down!

BIN collections in Birmingham are to resume after weeks of mounting rubbish caused misery for the city's residents.  Industrial action has been suspended as progress was made in a long-running dispute involving refuse collection workers, conciliation service Acas said.

Before the latest development the Unite union had warned that the dispute could last until Christmas, with workers campaigning against plans to cut more than 100 waste collection jobs.

What we know so far says the Birmingham Mail:  The bin strike which has crippled Birmingham for almost two months has been suspended.
The breakthrough came after the city council and the Unite union held talks via the Acas conciliation service.
The news means the mountains of rubbish left festering on the city's streets since the dispute began in June will finally be cleared, although there was no immediate timescale for the clean-up.
The resolution will bring joy to residents who have had to cope with packed bin bags piled high, while flies, maggots and rats were widely reported.
Acas has said in a statement:
'Birmingham City Council and Unite the Union have today made sufficient progress in their talks for the Shop Stewards to pause industrial action.
'Birmingham City Council cabinet members have agreed in principle that the grade 3 posts will be maintained.
'Consequently there are no redundancy steps in place.
'In addition the parties will now look to discuss, through ACAS, how the service can be improved, with the intention of improving efficiencies in performance of the bin collection service generally, including what savings can be made, and specifically how best the current Grade 3 roles can now be maintained and developed so that they take forward the ambition to deliver cleaner streets and align to wider Total Place principles.
 'Unite have also agreed in principle to recommend to their members work pattern changes, including consideration of a five-day working week.
'Both parties agree the working week should be designed to maximise service delivery.
'To assist in the resolution of outstanding issues both parties will go to ACAS.
'These discussions will be with the intention of incorporating any agreement as an amendment to the Waste Management Service Cabinet Report in September 2017.
'Both parties are pleased to be recommencing industrial relations and pleased that the bin collection can resume without disruption.'
Acas said the parties had made 'sufficient' progress in their talks for industrial action to be paused, with council cabinet members agreeing in principle that Grade 3 posts will be maintained, and consequently there are no redundancy steps in place.
Unite has also agreed in principle to recommend to its members work pattern changes, including consideration of a five-day working week, Acas said, with both parties agreeing that the working week should be designed to maximise service delivery.
Discussions are set to continue on how the service can be improved, with the intention of improving efficiencies in performance of the bin collection service generally, including what savings can be made.
To assist in the resolution of outstanding issues both parties will go to Acas.
Unite said the Grade 3 jobs are responsible for the safety at the rear of the refuse vehicles.
There are now expectation that similar conflicts will occur across the country, and Doncaster has been mentioned as an area of conflict in the near future.