Around 400 Birmingham refuse workers – members of the Unite union – are being balloted from today (Friday 22nd November) on possible strike action over Birmingham City Council plans to downgrade around 150 Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WCRO) roles.
The “safety critical” WRCO is set to be removed, with those staff – many long-serving – facing pay cuts of up to £8000 a year.
The union claims that since the council effectively declared itself bankrupt last September, refuse staff represented by Unite have worked with management in good faith to ensure services continue to operate despite detrimental impacts to their pay and working conditions.
This includes implementing route changes, accepting cuts to overtime and nighttime allowances and working around problems caused by the council’s aging and breakdown prone fleet of bin lorries.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Birmingham council’s plans to remove a safety critical role to attack workers’ pay are abhorrent.
“Birmingham’s refuse workers go above and beyond and are already shouldering unfair demands for a crisis they didn’t create and shouldn’t have to pay for. They have Unite’s total backing.”
Unite regional coordinating officer Frank Keogh said: “Birmingham council is deliberately playing fast and loose with the safety of workers and the general public.
“Birmingham’s refuse workers are done being scapegoats for a crisis created by politicians.
“They’ve already sacrificed plenty to keep services running while facing relentless attacks on their jobs. Axing the WRCO role is seen as just the first step in a broader attack on their pay, terms, and conditions.”
Birmingham City Council cabinet member for Environment and Transport, Cllr Majid Mahmood said: “The consultation period with our recognised unions has come to an end and a decision has been taken to proceed with the proposal to change to the new operating arrangements. Ensuring the safety of our employees and residents is taken extremely seriously, and health and safety is everyone’s responsibility.
“We are now undertaking the post consultation steps to ensure all Birmingham City Council colleagues affected by the change in working arrangements are supported. There are several options that are available to suit different personal circumstances, these include opting for voluntary redundancy, promotion or redeployment. We recognise that this is an unsettling time, and we have moved quickly, to minimise this period of uncertainty for everyone.
“We are committed to working with our colleagues across the service for the best outcome so that we deliver a consistent and reliable service that Birmingham residents deserve.”
The ballot opens today (Friday 22nd November) and closes on Wednesday 4th December.