The union behind the Birmingham bin strike is poised to retreat, it was claimed today, after a major clean-up operation delivered a blow to its leverage.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, declared this week that a deal with the city council ‘could be in touching distance’, in a marked change of tone after seven weeks of strikes.
Bin workers walked out over proposals to scrap a role on collection teams last month, leading mountains of rubbish to pile on the streets and fuelling fears of a public health crisis.
Hopes of a breakthrough were raised significantly this week when Ms Graham confirmed Unite would meet next Thursday with the council and, for the first time, conciliation service Acas.
But the Mail can reveal this softening of the union’s stance came despite no new offer being presented to the striking binmen during a brief meeting between the parties on Wednesday.
Sources close to negotiations insist the only pay offer on the table remains the one that was overwhelmingly rejected in a ballot of Unite members earlier this month.
Instead, the union is believed to be beating a hasty retreat after its leverage was weakened by a council clean-up operation that has seen more than 30,000 tonnes of rubbish cleared off the streets.
The council has managed to largely bring the epidemic of fly-tipping under control after erecting barriers to stop striking workers from blocking lorries leaving depots, allowing weekly rubbish collections to resume.
It has led to the strike losing much of the media coverage it attracted several weeks ago and critics allege the declining national attention has dampened the union’s will to keep fighting.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham claimed this week that a deal with the council could be 'in touching distance'
But the bin strike has inflicted misery on the residents of Birmingham as thousands of tonnes of rubbish piled on the city's streets
The council has mounted a major clean-up operation over the past fortnight which has seen more than 30,000 tonnes of rubbish cleared of the city's pavements
Council sources claimed that Unite had repeatedly moved the goalposts with their demands, often seemingly at the behest of national figures rather than regional reps.
The union was said to have first focused its arguments on the health and safety risks posed by scrapping the affected role, then pivoting to the council's alleged overuse of agency staff before finally making the issue of pay its central concern.
A senior source said of Ms Graham: ‘This bin strike has given her more coverage and more leverage – to have a platform to stand on – than any other strike they’ve got going on.’
Unite is said to be riven by infighting ahead of a leadership race next year, as it grapples with scandals including a fraud probe into the construction of a £112 million hotel in Birmingham.
Sources have suggested the other explanation for this week’s volte face may be financial, with Unite paying striking workers a daily rate. It has reportedly already run up a bill of more than £1 million since the start of the strike.
The agreement to involve Acas in the next round of talks is thought to be particularly significant, with a Labour source saying it suggested Unite had reached ‘something resembling a sensible position’.
Unite rejected the suggestion that they had been presenting different demands throughout negotiations and said it was the council that had proposed the involvement of Acas.
It also dismissed claims that it was feeling the financial strain of the strike.
A spokesman said: ‘Unite has been consistent from the start that our demand is simply to prevent the imposition of pay cuts for workers of up to £8,000.
‘Councillors should take note that Unite has more than ample resources available to support further action if necessary, with a record amount of liquid assets at over £160 million.
‘The council, not Unite proposed Acas negotiations and that was agreed on the clear understanding that meaningful negotiations will take place.
The spokesman added: ‘Our stance ahead of talks is crystal clear. If the council makes good on its own leaders’ public comments that no worker need lose pay, then a deal is within “touching distance”.
'But if the council does not to live up to this promise and especially if it chooses to attack more of its bin workers by imposing further cuts, then that will be completely unacceptable to Unite members.’