Union says driver pay could fall by £8,000

Bin lorry drivers in Birmingham could have their pay cut by up to £8,000 under new proposals, their union said, as the city’s bin strike enters its eighth week.

Refuse workers belonging to Unite started an all-out strike on 11 March, in a standoff with the council over proposed changes to roles and resulting pay cuts.

Unite said on Tuesday that, under new council plans, bin lorry drivers’ pay could also fall from £40,000 to £32,000.

Birmingham City Council said it was carrying out a “fair and transparent job evaluation process” agreed with trade unions, to comply with equal pay laws.

The council added the final workshop to evaluate a role known as “driver team leader” had taken place on Tuesday, but its results were “subject to further collective consultation”.

Birmingham’s bin strikes have led to bin bags and fly-tipped rubbish piling up on the city’s streets, rat infestations, and fears for public health.

Residents have been caught in the middle of the dispute and many have stepped forward to help each other out, with neighbours sharing trips to the tip and volunteers cleaning the streets.

Unite confirmed reports about 200 drivers, mostly men, were told on Tuesday their jobs would be moved down from Grade 4 to Grade 3 under the new proposals.

The union added driver team leaders were in a Grade 4 pay band which ran from £33,366 to £40,476.

This would be dropped to a Grade 3 pay band, which runs from £26,409 to £32,654, if the proposal goes ahead.

Council sources told the BBC the grading proposal was “indicative” rather than final, adding no change was likely to be made until the autumn and options such as pay protection were being considered.

Every job at the Labour-run council is being reviewed as part of the authority’s efforts to avoid another equal pay crisis.

The bin strike dispute initially centred on the council’s decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles from some bin workers, which Unite has said would result in a pay cut for those workers and make all staff less safe.

The council has previously said affected workers have been offered alternative options and the WRCO role does not exist at other authorities.

Unite has more recently urged the council to guarantee bin lorry drivers’ existing levels of pay, particularly with many WRCOs encouraged to take up driver training to protect their incomes.

The council said on Tuesday it was committed to finding a fair deal for drivers and collectors, adding it was due to have scheduled talks with Unite later this week.

Unite’s national lead officer Onay Kasab told BBC Radio WM that the figures pertaining to drivers were simple.

“This is about a straight forward cut in pay. Going down to a Grade 3 from a Grade 4 is a straight £8,000-a-year cut and there’s no arguing about that,” he said.

He also accused the council of “playing games” over the matter, saying: “The fact is they said there would be no pay cut. Today, they’ve announced a pay cut.”

The standoff between the council and striking workers takes place against a backdrop of a city facing huge financial challenges.

A significant part of Birmingham’s travails are linked to financial fallout from equal pay liabilities, with the authority declaring itself effectively bankrupt in 2023.

Cuts in government funding and a £100m overspend on a dysfunctional IT system have also contributed to the authority’s turmoil, which has seen it cut £300m in spending over two years – and tax rise for residents.

Max Caller was appointed by the previous Conservative government to oversee the council’s financial recovery.

He said on Tuesday that it was impossible to estimate the true costs of settling the council’s equal pay dispute, despite an agreement with trade unions to pay out £250m.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, he said more claims were in the pipeline but the aim was to keep the final cost below the original estimate of £750m.

Mr Caller said: “It is very encouraging that the council has been able to reach a deal with its recognised trade unions to bring that part of the equal pay liability to conclusion.

“There are further claims not generated by trade unions. I don’t know what that bill will be but the starting point has got to be the deal with the trade unions because that sets the benchmark.”

As for the bins row, Mr Caller said he was not involved in negotiations to end the strike, despite claims from Unite that he was the “principle decision maker”.

He said: “‘The council is leading on these negotiations, the commissioner’s position is that we are fully behind the council in seeking a resolution which modernises this service.”