Birmingham bin staff reject ‘totally inadequate’ deal to end month-long strike over pay and rubbish continues to pile up
BIN staff have rejected as “totally inadequate” a deal to end a strike over pay, their union says.
Hundreds of refuse collectors in Birmingham gave the thumbs-down to the city council’s offer.
It means the month-long walkout, which has left rubbish piled up in the streets and an influx of rodents, continues.
The outcome is an embarassment for Deputy PM Angela Rayner, who had called on the Unite union to back the “significantly improved offer”.
But Unite members voted by 97 per cent to reject it on a turnout of 60 per cent.
The union called it “totally inadequate”.
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Leader Sharon Graham said the dispute had moved on from equal pay to improving waste service and cost-cutting.
Shadow Cabinet Minister Kevin Hollinrake said: “Yet again, Labour proves utterly incapable of standing up against their union paymasters.”
A council spokesperson said: “It is incredibly disappointing.”