Bin strikes enter their eleventh week in Birmingham
Striking workers and Birmingham City Council still have not come to an agreement
Bin strikes in Birmingham are entering their eleventh week, whilst striking workers represented by Unite the Union, and Birmingham City Council continue discussions to come to an agreement.
Workers in the city are in a dispute over pay and jobs, leading to rubbish piling up in the streets.
"We should take hope from that"
Onay Kasab, National Lead Officer at Unite, has praised Birmingham City Council for the way they have dealt with the talks:
"I have been involved in lots of disputes where the employer refuses to talk to the employees. The good thing here is that we are engaged.
"We should take hope from that," he said.
Why are workers still striking?
Adrian Hyde is a striking bin worker, he told us why he is continuing to strike:
"There is a possibility that me and my family could be on the streets because of the pay cuts.
"The money I am set to lose each month is pretty much my rent," he said.
"The impact on mortgages"
Onay said he hoped the Union and the Council would come to an agreement soon: "We have got members telling us the impact on mortgages.
"You cannot simply go up to a mortgage advisor and ask them to cut your mortgage payments in line with your pay cut. It is simply not going to happen," he said.
In a statement issued at the end of February, Birmingham City Council insisted it had made a "fair and reasonable offer" to Unite the Union.