6 h. ago Union chief to lead negotiations in bid to end Birmingham bin strike

Sharon Graham will head Unite’s team at talks on Thursday under the auspices of conciliation service Acas.

Events

9 h. ago Birmingham bin strikes laid bare as refuse collectors to lose up to £8,000 each year

Unite says Birmingham City Council has "been playing games" after the union found the authority - declared bankrupt in 2023 - has decided to now cut bin lorry drivers' pay

Economics

24 h. ago Hopes fading for end to bitter Birmingham bin strike after council revealed plans to cut drivers' pay by £8,000 prompting outrage from unions

Unite said the move by the city council to downgrade wagon drivers' pay amounted to an 'escalation' in the dispute.

Economics

26 h. ago Birmingham lorry drivers’ pay cuts ‘an escalation’ of bin strike, union says

Unite’s Sharon Graham said ‘eye-watering’ cuts were being made to pay packets.

Events

4 d. ago Birmingham resident resorts to burning recycling inside home as waste strike continues

Firefighters have now warned other residents not to do the same during the ongoing bin strike

Events

4 d. ago Doctors warn of second deadly viral outbreak as cases of Victorian

Whooping cough is making a comeback in the US. There have been 8,472 cases of the vaccine-preventable disease so far this year, more than double the number from the same period last year.

Events

4 d. ago Unite 'poised to retreat' over Birmingham bin strike despite no new pay offer on the table...so what's REALLY behind the union's change of heart?

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, declared this week that a deal with the city council 'could be in touching distance', in a marked change of tone after seven weeks of strikes.

Events

4 d. ago Fire plea after Birmingham resident burns recycling inside home amid bin strike

Rubbish has been piling up in the streets since hundreds of bin workers walked out on March 11 in a dispute with Birmingham City Council.

Events

5 d. ago ‘We’ve gone from helping earthquake and flooding victims to clearing up Birmingham’s bin bags’

Aston-based Faizan Global Relief Foundation has collected hundreds of bin bags with the help of volunteers who work through the night

Events

6 d. ago Fresh talks over Birmingham bin strike to be held on May Day

Conciliation service Acas will be involved in the meeting for the first time since the row flared earlier this year.

Events

6 d. ago Rats the ‘size of dachshunds’ terrify Birmingham residents as bin strike prompts fear of surge in rodent

Union officials have said the end of the bin strikes are in ‘touching distance’ after a seven week standoff

Events

6 d. ago Grim reality of Birmingham bin strikes health crisis is laid bare in secret council dossier

The bin strike in Birmingham is now in its seventh full week, with talks between the council and the Unite trade union resuming on Wednesday - and full rubbish bags line streets

Events

6 d. ago Birmingham bin strike deal ‘could be in touching distance’, says union

Local residents facing mounting piles of rubbish after more than a month of industrial action

Economics

7 d. ago Birmingham bin strike talks to resume as minister calls for union to accept ‘fair deal’

The dispute over pay and job security has seen both sides locked in a bitter standoff

Politics

1 week ago Holy water from Ethiopian well almost sparks outbreak of deadly disease in Europe

Religious tourists seeking 'healing and peace for body and mind' brought the so-called holy water to the UK and Germany from an Ethiopian well they visited as part of a spiritual pilgrimage

Events

1 week ago Labour in pockets of union paymasters who have brought Birmingham to its knees as analysis shows quarter of Labour MPs gave cash to union at centre of bin strikes

A quarter of Keir Starmer 's ministers belong to the militant union behind the Birmingham bin strikes crisis, it can be revealed.

Economics

1 week ago ‘The posh areas get cleared’: bin strikes illustrate Birmingham’s wealth gap

People in poorer areas feel frustrated rubbish piles up during strikes, while wealthy households pay for removal“It’s very frustrating that the posh areas get cleared and we’re just left, very frustrating but we expect it,” said Peter Thomas, outside his home in Ladywood, against a backdrop of overflowing bins.Across neighbouring postcodes in Birmingham, the gap between wealthy and deprived parts of the city has been noticeable for residents ever since the bin strikes began last month. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Union bosses 'plotting to tear away from Labour' as Birmingham bin strikes tensions keep rising

Activists for Unite have called for colleagues to join alliances with 'lefty Greens', other trade unionists and 'free Palestine activists' in a new coalition.

Events

1 week ago Bookmakers offering odds on where bin strikes will hit next after Birmingham crisis

At least 11 more towns and cities across the country are odds-on to be hit by the same crippling industrial action as Birmingham, as 21,000 tons of rubbish remains uncollected

Events

1 week ago Voices: ‘Give councils more money’ Independent readers weigh in on Birmingham bin strikes

Birmingham’s bin strikes are widely seen as the result of decades of political neglect and a worsening funding crisis in local government

Events