Overview
- Council leader John Cotton said he has reached out for an urgent meeting, calling for a realistic approach while ruling out reversing fair pay and grading reforms.
- The council says it has offered pay protection, new roles and training, and signalled it does not want job losses as it pushes to transform the waste service.
- Unite general secretary Sharon Graham joined a Birmingham rally and said conversations have taken place with people inside and outside the council to revive a previously scoped deal.
- A court fined Unite £265,000 plus a £170,000 interim costs payment over breaches of an injunction on picketing; the council says the order helped maintain weekly collections, which Unite disputes.
- Unite has cut its Labour Party affiliation fee by 40% as tensions rise, while the council plans to introduce fortnightly collections and expanded food waste services from June.