Overview
- This week Birmingham City Council said it was not party to pre-election talks between Labour and Unite and that no formal, council‑approved deal exists to end the strike.
- The bin workers’ strike has lasted about 17 months and has suspended recycling collections since February 2025, leaving neighbourhoods with overflowing waste and growing public frustration.
- Unite and Birmingham Labour maintain a negotiated settlement was reached and cite support from the ACAS chair and the West Midlands mayor while urging elected members to clear the way for a member ballot.
- A former Labour cabinet member and council spokespeople say the announced pre-election agreement never passed required statutory officer, legal or financial scrutiny and therefore amounted only to a statement of intent.
- The wider waste reform—planned fortnightly refuse, a second recycling bin and weekly food waste collections—has been paused until a new council administration and formal legal and financial sign‑off can decide how to proceed.