Watch as I joined Birmingham bin workers protesting outside Council House in a dispute over pay cuts

Striking refuse workers in Birmingham have protested outside the Council House as talks continue over job losses and wage cuts.

More than 350 workers began striking in January after the council scrapped a safety-critical role, cutting some wages by up to £8,000. Unite says the cuts are unjustified.

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The protest comes as talks continue between Unite and Birmingham City Council, overseen by Acas.

Watch the video as we visited the picket line outside Birmingham’s Council House on Wednesday morning.

Workers fear further cuts to pay and jobs. Unite has warned that removing the safety-critical role not only impacts workers but could also affect waste collection services across the city.

Onay Kasab, Unite lead national officer, said: ““This is a council that has just voted itself a 5.7% increase for councillors. So the people who are telling us that this is financially necessary are happy to vote themselves a pay increase. It's not politically necessary. That's the point. This is about political choices.

“Workers have been willing to compromise. They've given away shift payments. They've been willing to do away with tasks and finish that's an indication of how reasonable our members are. So for the council to now come back and talk about an 8000 pounds pay hit is complete and utter treachery. It's also unnecessary.”

“On some days, we've had vehicles up to 20 vehicles not able to get out on the rounds because they simply not working. It was a high turnover of staff because they used a huge amount of agency staff. So the service is already on its ease, even without strike action. So what they need to be doing is actually investing in the service, not taking money out of it by cutting our members wages.

“Council leaders need to start making different political choices, different decisions, instead of wielding the acts on behalf of central government. How about standing up and fighting and defending the people who provide essential public services within the local authority? How about the councillors saying to central government, get rid of the commissioners. We'll run the council, give us the funding necessary to be able to do that.”