Another bin strike looming, says Unite
27 April 2011
Union members are furious that Birmingham city council has
reneged on an agreement which ended a lengthy dispute over pay, and
are now looking at all the options available to them, including the
possibility of restarting industrial action.
The council and the joint trade inions (GMB, Ucatt, Unite and
Unison) signed an agreement in March, which had effectively
resolved the long standing dispute in refuse collection. However,
the council has not yet implemented the agreement which was
accepted by a membership vote with a 2 to 1 majority.
Regional trade union officials are disgusted that the council
has engaged the trade unions in intensive talks since November 2010
and has still completely failed to act in good faith and honour the
agreement which was made.
Unite regional officer, Lynne Shakespeare, said: "This is
incompetence of the highest order. If this agreement is not
implemented, we shall be forced to meet with our membership again
and possibly restart the strike action.
“The council has made no attempt to honour the agreement which
we all signed in March. It seems that the council enjoys being in
dispute and seeing tonnes of rubbish on the streets, especially
during the summer months. If the council did not want to reach an
agreement, why did it bother to make one with us - it all seems to
have been a complete waste of time."
ENDS
For further information contact Lynne Shakespeare on 07958
511583 or Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite press office on 020 7420
8914 or 07980 224761.
