Bin strikes in Birmingham could spread across the UK, a union leader has warned, as a bitter dispute over pay continues.
Rubbish has been piling up on Birmingham’s streets for over a month, sparking fears of a public health crisis, as hundreds of refuse workers continue all-out strike action.
The Unite union rejected a council offer on Monday, further escalating the standoff.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham warned that similar action could erupt elsewhere if other councils attempt to impose pay cuts on low-paid workers. "Well, if other councils decide to make low-paid workers pay for bad decisions that they did not make… then absolutely, of course, we all have to take action in those other areas," she stated on LBC.
This warning was echoed by Unite’s national lead officer, Onay Kasab, who highlighted the potential for wider industrial action.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he said: "If other local authorities look to cut the pay of essential public service workers, then there is the potential for strike action spreading. That’s why different political choices need to be made."
Ms Graham criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, saying it had taken them “a huge amount of time to get involved in the dispute” between the union and Birmingham City Council.

The Government has stepped in and attempted to prompt an end to the deadlock and had urged the Unite union to accept the deal.
A small number of office-based military planners were called in by the Government to give logistical support to clean up the streets.
Business and trade minister Sarah Jones on Tuesday urged Unite to accept the “good offer” on the table so Birmingham can “get back to normal”.
“So our message loud and clear is Unite need to call off the strike, accept the deal, and let’s get back to normal, which is what people expect and what people deserve,” she told BBC Breakfast.
She said strikes are “always a last resort” when asked if she thought they could spread.
“One of the first things we did when we got into Government back in July was to negotiate deals with trade unions where years of under-investment, years of underpay, had led to all kinds of problems and strikes that were costing everybody in the NHS, costing huge amounts of money.
“So nobody wants to see strikes, they’re always a last resort.”
More than 11,000 tonnes of waste has been collected during efforts to clear the backlog of rubbish, according to local government minister Jim McMahon.

Unite said its members in Birmingham voted overwhelmingly against what the union described as the council’s “totally inadequate” offer, which it maintained still included pay cuts.
Ms Graham said pay would be cut by up to £8,000, or around a quarter of pay, under the council’s plans.
She urged the Government to call a meeting with the stakeholders to address the issues and bring the strike to an end, as well as to urgently consider Unite’s proposal for debt restructure at Birmingham City Council.
Birmingham Council said it was disappointed, but that “our door remains open” to continue discussions.
Further talks are planned for Wednesday.
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