Birmingham residents already struggling with reduced bin collections face further disruption after agency staff, brought in to cover the ongoing refuse strike, voted to walk out from 1 December. Unite the union said 18 of 22 agency members voted to strike over claims of bullying and harassment at Birmingham City Council, which has denied the allegations.
The original strike by hundreds of Unite members began in March 2025 over pay and jobs. Non-agency staff have already voted to extend their action until March 2026. Residents in areas such as Moseley told the BBC that collections had been "very few and far between", with some dreading a greater build-up of waste over Christmas.
Campaigner Shafaq Hussain, from the End Bin Strike Campaign Across Birmingham group, described the situation as a public health issue and called on central government to intervene, according to BBC News.
Source: BBC News