Overview

• Hundreds marched to Victoria Square in a Unite-organised protest led by Sharon Graham, who called for ministers to help broker a deal.
• Unite members have voted to extend their strike mandate to March 2026 after nine months of action that began with an all-out walkout in March.
• The dispute centres on plans to delete or downgrade a senior bin-truck role and regrade drivers, with around 170 staff in redundancy consultation and some taking transfers or voluntary exit.
• Birmingham City Council says its contingency plan and fully operational new fleet are keeping household collections on schedule, citing about 1,330 tonnes collected daily, higher per-employee productivity, and fewer missed pickups.
• Meaningful negotiations have not resumed since summer ACAS talks faltered, and the council has pursued contempt proceedings alleging breaches of an injunction limiting picket activity.