Fears of contemporary Birmingham bin strikes chaos as unions plot ‘megapicket’ within the New Year

Birmingham could be hit by more union chaos in the New Year as Left-wing groups plan a ‘mega-picket’ in support of bin strikes that have left the city covered by mountains of rubbish and rats roaming the streets.

The proposed protest will see members of various unions travel to Birmingham from across the country and gather outside depots to show solidarity with striking bin workers.

The bin strike has attracted worldwide attention with shocking pictures earlier this year of giant ‘cat-sized’ rats chasing council workers. 

The mega-picket has been supported by Jeremy Corbyn‘s Your Party and We Demand Change, who have been involved in pro-Palestine protests.

Although not involved in the third mega picket, Trade union, Unite the Union, have been in a long running pay dispute dating back to the beginning of the year.

They then decided to begin an all out strike on 11 March after the situation escalated.

The dispute initially centred on the council’s decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) roles.

The union claimed about 170 affected workers face losing up to £8,000 a year because of the decision, but the council disputed those figures.

In response to striking workers’ concerns about pay, the Labour-run council has repeatedly insisted they have made a ‘fair and reasonable’ offer.

Talks broke down completely between Birmingham City Council and Unite in July. 

This mega picket next year this is supported by a long list of groups and counting: ASLEF, Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP), Blacklist Support Group, Fire Brigades Union (FBU), General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), Manchester TUC, National Education Union (NEU), NHS Workers Say No!, Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Royal College of Podiatry, Troublemakers at work, UNISON Greater Manchester Transport Branch, We Demand Change, Wolverhampton, Bilston & District TUC and Your Party.

The first mega picket in May shut down the Lifford Lane depot and recycling centre, one of the three main Birmingham City Council depots, leading to delays in collections. 

Protestors gathered from 6am, chanting and releasing flares, to show their backing for the all-out bin strike.

The second megapicket in July closed all five sites across Birmingham and Coventry and saw former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn address the crowd and call for the council to reach a resolution.

Plans are being made by Strike Map, an organisation who document and present the levels of strike action in the country, for a third such mega picket from 6am on January 30. 

Megapicket 3-D (third dimension), will be aimed at targeting all sites. 

Strike Map say they will be working alongside unions, campaign groups and community organisations. 

They hope to mobilise people from across the country, especially across the West Midlands.

Unite also claimed that, under new council plans, bin lorry drivers’ pay could fall from £40,000 to £32,000.

Hundreds of members of Unite in Birmingham have been on an all-out strike since March in a dispute over pay and jobs.

It soon led to rubbish piling on the streets as striking workers blocked refuse lorries from leaving depots across Birmingham.

The resulting chaos eventually prompted a public health scare as residents reported seeing rats the size of cats roaming the streets.

Unite said there had been no formal negotiations to end the dispute since May.

In July, council leader Mr Cotton said talks had broken down completely and warned the authority had ‘reached the absolute limit’ of what it can offer in talks with the union.

At the last ‘megapicket, Mr Corbyn addressed the crowd saying: ‘It wasn’t the Birmingham bin workers who got the finances of Birmingham City Council into a mess.

‘It wasn’t the bin workers who created any of the problems that Birmingham faces.’

During the same demonstration, Gawain Little, from the General Federation of Trade Unions urged the city council to restart negotiations with Unite.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has previously said Birmingham City Council are effectively proposing a fire and rehire scheme, offering bin workers redundancy packages and rehiring labour at a cheaper cost.

Unite have most recently accused the council of unlawfully employing temporary staff to replace striking workers.

The say Birmingham council’s monthly spend on employment agencies and outsourcers has tripled since the bin strike dispute began in January 2025.