Birmingham City Council says a negotiated settlement to end the city bin strike is now “within sight”, after what appears to be the most significant breakthrough in the dispute for more than a year.
Council leader John Cotton said on Thursday that the basis of a deal had been struck between the council and Unite, raising the prospect of an end to the long-running strike that has disrupted refuse collections across Birmingham since January last year.
The dispute began after the council cut the pay grading of bin truck drivers who had previously been treated as team leaders, triggering anger among affected workers and a demand from Unite for compensation. Talks initially took place through Acas, but broke down last July, leaving residents facing months of disruption and, at points, tens of thousands of tonnes of uncollected waste.
Cotton made the announcement from the steps of the Council House in Victoria Square, saying that after months of work on the principles and parameters of a deal, he believed an improved offer could now be made that addressed the “ballpark issues” previously discussed through Acas.
He said the proposed settlement would be good for the workforce, represent value for money and avoid creating fresh structural equal pay liabilities for the council.
The council cannot formally approve the deal before 7 May because of pre-election restrictions, but Cotton said that if Labour is re-elected, his administration will treat approval of the agreement as an “absolute priority”.
Unite also confirmed that a broad outline had been put back on the table.
According to the union, the proposed deal would give workers a minimum of two years’ protection from the impact of the job evaluation process rather than six months, offer agency workers with at least 12 months on the contract a route to permanent employment, quash disciplinary issues, review gross misconduct matters, treat the strike as authorised absence for pension purposes and end legal action on both sides.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the move marked a vindication of the bin workers’ campaign for what she described as a decent deal.
She said negotiations had intensified in recent months to get the blocked “ballpark” agreement restored so members could vote on it, but accused government-backed commissioners of interfering and trying to block progress.
Graham thanked West Midlands mayor Richard Parker and Lord Brendan Barber for helping move discussions forward, and also thanked Birmingham residents for their patience during the dispute.
The strike has become one of the most politically damaging issues facing Birmingham Labour, with Unite suspending the membership of Birmingham councillors linked to the union and refusing to pay Labour affiliation fees during the row.
Cotton said throughout the dispute he had resisted pressure to dismiss the striking workers rather than negotiate, and repeated his view that only a negotiated settlement could bring the conflict to a close while protecting the council from repeating past equal pay mistakes.
The coming weeks are now likely to determine whether Unite members accept the terms and whether Birmingham can finally bring the 16-month dispute to an end.