Birmingham bin strike: ballot result confirmed after council's new pay offer

Talks to end the strike have been ongoing between the council and the Unite union, which represents refuse workers.

Bin workers were balloted on Monday, April 14 to end the strike, but have rejected the council’s new pay offer.

Unite the union said that hundreds of workers voted overwhelmingly to reject the deal.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The government must now call a meeting with the stakeholders to ensure these steps are taken to bring the strike to an end.

“The government must now also urgently consider Unite’s proposal for debt restructure at Birmingham City Council and other local authorities. Workers and communities cannot continue to pay the price.”

The news comes with government calling in military planners to help tackle the bin crisis.

A government spokesperson told the BBC: "The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.

"In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area."