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‘There are red lines we won’t cross’, Birmingham council leader says as bins strikes drag on
16 April 2025, 20:58 | Updated: 16 April 2025, 23:35
The leader of Birmingham City Council has defended his decision not to attend negotiations with the bin workers’ union after being accused of ‘going AWOL’.
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Council leader John Cotton told LBC News’ George Icke that there are “certain red lines we will not cross”, defending his decision not to attend negotiations with the bin worker’s union Unite.
LBC News has made 12 requests to speak to the council leader, and he has now told us that it “pains him” to see the images of overflowing bins coming out of Birmingham where the bin strikes are continuing.
He said: “I'm also a proud, born and bred Brummie, and I've never lived anywhere else, and I've been focused relentlessly on finding a solution to this dispute.
“Clearly, we have a situation that we need to bring this dispute to a close. We have a very fair and reasonable offer on the table. We are urging Unite to continue to engage in negotiations so we find a solution to the dispute.
“But let me be absolutely clear, we know that we have a waste service that fundamentally needs change and transformation.”
“That is why we're making the changes that we are and also that we cannot proceed to any demands that would result in the reopening of the Equal Pay challenges that have dogged this council over many years.
Read more: 'Public health emergency should be declared in Birmingham', says Tory councillor
Birmingham City Council had reached an agreement with the UNISON and GMB to settle historic equal pay claims, which potentially impacted 6,000 people.
During the current strikes, members of the Unite union walked out on March 11th in a dispute over pay and jobs leading to thousands of tonnes of rubbish to pile up.
On Monday, bin workers in Birmingham 'unanimously' voted to reject a 'totally inadequate' offer from the city council aimed at ending the long-running strike over pay, union Unite said.
Unite has claimed the council is making the offer they put on the table seem 'better than it really is'.
Mr Cotton said: “I'm not going to comment on the stance that Unite may be taking on this. Well, I'm going to be clear on is that there are certain demands that have been made, particularly with regard to the retention of the worker role that we cannot exceed. We have made it clear that that role does not part the future of the waste service.
Rubbish piles up as workers reject deal aimed at ending long-running strike in Birmingham
He added: “So clearly, that's why we need to bring this dispute to a close, why we are so committed to finding a solution based on that very fair and reasonable offer that's on the table two years in a row now.”
Asked about recent increases in council tax in Birmingham, Mr Cotton said it was “really important that we brought the finances of this council back into balance.”
But the council leader said he ‘understood’ the frustration of residents who have had to pay more in council tax despite overflowing bins.
Unite has also accused Cotton of not engaging with the negotiations, and not attending any of the talks surrounding the dispute, which he said was a ‘red line’.
He said: “I do not attend talks as a politician. It is not appropriate for politicians to be involved in ongoing industrial negotiations that are properly led by the officers of this Council and the trade union representatives.
“My role as leader is to set the policy and the strategy that governs those negotiations, and I've been absolutely clear that we have red lines around equal pay. We have red lines around ensuring that the service is transformed.
“That's the proper role of politicians. And what's really important here is that we follow the right processes in order to ensure that we don't repeat the mistakes that have dogged this council in the past.”
