Birmingham bin strikes latest: Refuse workers return to work for now after High Court blocks redundancy move

Union leaders wanted Mr Justice Fraser to block redundancy moves by Birmingham City Council.

Bosses at the Labour-controlled council opposed such a move.

The judge on Wednesday ruled in favour of the Unite union after analysing evidence at a two-day High Court hearing in London.

Council bosses outlined plans to make more than 100 redundancies earlier this year as part of a restructure of their waste and recycling service.

Unite lawyers said council bosses wanted to remove a "leading hand" role - and change a four-day, nine-hour shift pattern to a five-day, seven-hour arrangement, the judge heard.

Union leaders raised health and safety concerns, saying "leading hands" had responsibilities which council bosses planned to reallocate to lorry drivers.

The judge heard that in July staff had begun industrial action and the dispute was continuing.

Unite had also taken legal action, arguing that council bosses' redundancy plans were unfair and in breach of employment contracts.

Council bosses were contesting those claims.

Union lawyers asked the judge to grant an injunction which would block redundancy plans pending a ruling on that underlying legal dispute.

Several binmen were at the hearing.

One hailed the judge's decision as "fantastic" and a "massive victory".

The judge said the legal dispute between the council and Unite was due to be analysed at a trial in November.

Today Unite agreed to suspend industrial action involving the refuse workers, until a full hearing, the date of which is to be confirmed.

Bin workers were due to continue their industrial action of three hours a day until Friday, when their existing mandate ran out, but will now return to working a full day.

Unite also agreed to suspend calling further industrial action as part of the ruling. Earlier this week refuse workers voted overwhelmingly to extend their strike action by a further 12 weeks after the first day of fresh action.

Commenting Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said: “This judgment will be a huge relief to Birmingham’s bin workers, who in just a matter of weeks were facing losing their job or pay cuts of up to £5,000 a year.

“As part of the ruling Unite will suspend its industrial action until the matter is put before a full court hearing at a later date.

“The High Court ruling leaves Birmingham council’s unfair and unjust plans in tatters. The council needs to reflect on how it got here and the misery it has inflicted on the people of Birmingham and its own bin workers."