Protesting Birmingham bin men escorted by police after allegedly intimidating colleagues

Protesting bin men in Birmingham have had to be escorted by police after allegedly intimidating colleagues.

It is alleged officers from West Midlands Police have recently been called to bin depots after striking bin men have been accused of intimidating other colleagues continuing their jobs.

It has been reported by Birmingham Live that the Birmingham City Council believes the striking bin men prevented their mutual workers doing their jobs by supposedly blocking staff and vehicles that attempted to leave the depot. Unite the Union had disagreed with the council’s recalling of the strike saying that the calling of the West Midland’s Police was a “waste of valuable police time”.

More than 350 Birmingham bin workers are on strike, due to @BhamCityCouncil’s decision to abolish a safety critical role. This means pay cuts of up to £8,000 for 150 workers.

Please send a message of support to the Birmingham bin workers on strike 👉 https://t.co/9AEdZQh7Jb pic.twitter.com/KzMPbwMbLE

— Unite the union: join a union (@unitetheunion) February 18, 2025

Around 350 city workers are on strike as it was revealed the council’s plans to remove the role of bin wagons, which the union states is a “safety-critical” role, which could result in job losses and pay cuts. However, the council claimed recently that only 17 workers would be affected by the removal of the bin-wagon role.

The council also has highlighted that it is able to offer alternatives if people are affected by this such as: Upskilling, promotion, deployment to a similar role and voluntary redundancy.

General secretary of Unite the Union, Sharon Graham, said: “It is totally unacceptable that their pay has been slashed and they have been left fearful of further attacks on their jobs, pay and conditions.”

Birmingham City Council also put out a statement on 3rd March: “Everyone has a right to protest. However, it is of great concern to see the recent actions of some people at our depots where gatherings have prevented workers and vehicles from leaving in order to do their job.”

Featured image via Unite the Union on X