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Birmingham bin strike: Council deal to end dispute accepted by union | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Bin workers in Birmingham who were involved in a three-month strike have agreed a deal with the city council. | |
Unite's Howard Beckett said it was a "victory for common sense" and meant the industrial action was over. | |
The row started in June when Unite claimed the council's bid to "modernise" the service and save £5m a year threatened more than 100 jobs. | |
The deal put forward by the council sees 106 staff remain on their current wages but in new recycling roles. | |
The strikes led to thousands of tonnes of rubbish left piled up on the city's streets. | The strikes led to thousands of tonnes of rubbish left piled up on the city's streets. |
Why did refuse workers strike in Birmingham? | Why did refuse workers strike in Birmingham? |
Mr Beckett, Unite assistant general secretary, said it would no longer be taking the council to the High Court on Monday and a "court order was expected to legally cement the agreement". | |
A judge granted an interim injunction against the council in September and a trial was to determine if the council acted unlawfully. | |
The council has agreed to pay Unite's legal costs, Mr Beckett said. | |
"This deal secures the grade three role and protects the pay of workers who faced losing thousands of pounds," he said. | |
He added it was also a "victory" for residents "who no longer need worry about the disruption of industrial action". | |
Ian Ward, leader of the Labour-run council, said the deal had been achieved through "quiet, open and honest dialogue", adding neither the council or Unite wanted things to escalate the way they did. | |
"This has always been about providing an efficient and effective refuse collection service for Birmingham, as that is what citizens rightly expect and deserve from us," he said. | |
His predecessor, John Clancy resigned in September after criticism of his handling of the dispute. | |
The deal creates new waste reduction and collection officer roles who will be on bin lorries, focusing on recycling to help "engage and educate" residents. | |
Sending less waste to landfill and increasing recycling by 10% is expected to save £1.6m a year. | |
The authority also estimates £3m a year can be saved by changing workers' hours from a four-day to a five-day week - meaning less reliance on overtime and agency staff. |
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