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BIRMINGHAM'S LABOUR COUNCIL LEADERSHIP ARE URGING UNITE THE UNION TO PUT NEW DEAL TO MEMBERS TO END 12 WEEK DISPUTE 07:00, 04 Jun 2025 Birmingham's bin workers are being urged to

accept the 'good deal' that has been put on the table by the city council in a bid to end the strike that's blighted the city for 12 weeks. The council's Labour leader

Councillor John Cotton said the deal set out at the end of last week by the council to Unite the union was 'a good offer' that he hoped would end the dispute. Talks are ongoing

between the council and Unite. The union is considering its next move, with the support of the arbitration service Acas. READ MORE: BIRMINGHAM COUNCIL LEADER HITS BACK AT BIN STRIKE

UNION'S 'MISSING' JIBES AFTER PUB ENCOUNTER Details of the offer are not being made public but we understand it involves a compensatory payment and alternative job roles for

staff affected by the decision to 'delete' 170 Waste Recycling and Collection Officer jobs on the bin trucks. Drivers on the bin trucks are also deemed at risk of downgrades, after

an equal pay review separately indicated they were Grade 3 roles, not current Grade 4. Article continues below "It's in everyone's interest that this dispute now comes to an

end. We need to ensure that we've got a waste service that's fit for the future," said Councillor Cotton, the council's leader and also a member of Unite, speaking to

BirminghamLive. "We know that prior to the industrial action, there were challenges with the way the service operated and the quality of service in the city. That's why we need to

change the service." In a verbal update to the council's Cabinet, Tuesday June 3, Councillor Cotton told members that the High Court injunction now in place indefinitely (issued as

a temporary measure last week and ratified this week) was designed to ensure waste trucks could freely leave the council's three waste depots and collect rubbish. It bars pickets from

gathering in groups of more than six at the bin depot entrances or disrupting trucks and workers. "We also agreed with Unite that the legal costs the council incurred in bringing the

original injunction would be dealt with by the court at a later date," he said. "We acknowledge that everybody has the right to protest and that Unite has the right to organise

picketing in line with their statutory rights. The order...is to ensure all of this is done within the confines of the law." He said the council has been able to 'employ its

contingency plan' from the depots since the injunction came in. Article continues below He added: "We urge Unite to accept this offer and bring the industrial action to an end.

"The council remains wholly committed to reaching a negotiated settlement to this dispute and corporately and politically we are all clear about the red lines in place."