Refuse Workers Strike – 30th June

Birmingham City Council Refuse Workers Have Voted to Strike.   Have you noticed your bins not being emptied and rubbish not being collected? This is because the refuse collectors have balloted and are getting ready to strike from this Friday.

Will you be affected?

The first day of strike action will see workers strike for just under 5 hours, with 5 more 2 hour strikes planned over coming weeks. An overtime ban will begin on June 30th and, from the same date, crews will return to the depot for all lunch and tea breaks, which will slow down their rounds.

When:

• Friday 30th June – Strike 10:45 until 15:37. PLUS: workers begin overtime ban & return to depot for breaks
• Monday 3rd July – 2 hour strike
• Tuesday 11th July – 2 hour strike
• Wednesday 19th July – 2 hour strike
• Thursday 27th July – 2 hour strike
• Friday 4th August – 2 hour strike

Why The Strike?

Unite, the union representing the refuse collectors, have said that the overspend for the 2016/17 financial year (previously thought to be £9.7 million) had been confirmed by a top council boss as rising to £11.9 million contradicting the councils previous press statements that these cuts were due to budget cuts and austerity measures. Allegations of bullying and council incompetence have been thrown around. But still our bins will not be collected. Business waste in the Jewellery Quarter will still be collected by JQBID and their partners, but residential waste will backlog.