Bin strikes could spread across UK as councils face financial crisis, union warns

LONDON

Refuse workers in Birmingham have been on indefinite strike for over a month, and union leaders are warning that similar industrial action could spread across the UK as more councils impose cuts to essential services.

The warning comes as Birmingham faces mounting public health concerns, more than a month into an all-out indefinite strike by refuse collectors.

Bin bags have accumulated across the city, attracting an influx of rats and raising fears of a sanitation crisis.

The strike was triggered by Birmingham City Council’s decision to remove a role from its bin lorry crews, a cost-saving move the council argues is necessary to avoid future liabilities related to equal pay claims. The council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023.

Unite, the union representing the striking workers in Birmingham, says the move unfairly targets low-paid staff.

Speaking to LBC, Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said more councils could face industrial action if they follow Birmingham’s lead.

“If other councils decide to make low-paid workers pay for bad decisions that they did not make… then absolutely, of course, we all have to take action in those other areas,” she said.

Onay Kasab, Unite’s national lead officer, told BBC Radio 4 that local authorities across the country must reconsider their approach.

“If other local authorities look to cut the pay of essential public service workers, then there is the potential for strike action spreading,” he said. “That’s why different political choices need to be made.”

Similar disputes have emerged across the country as councils attempt to balance budgets.

In Peterborough, the GMB union has challenged the council over low pay for workers in waste collection, street cleaning, and park maintenance, claiming pay levels are only marginally above the national living wage.

While a revised offer is being considered, strike action remains a possibility.

In Aberdeen, hundreds of council workers voted in March to support strike action in protest of a fire-and-rehire policy linked to a pay freeze and changes to working hours. GMB reported that 88% of its members in non-education roles and 71% of janitorial staff in city schools backed the move.

Elsewhere, in Sheffield, refuse workers employed by Veolia have been on strike since August 2024, demanding formal union recognition.

In Devon earlier this year, over 800 council employees were threatened with new contracts under a fire-and-rehire scheme. Following protests from the GMB Union, the parties agreed to revised terms.