Bin dispute 'has to be resolved in new year'

Government's commissioner says waiting 'isn't a strategy'

- JANE HAYNES

GOVERNMENT commissioners overseeing Birmingham City Council have demanded to see action to finally end the bin strike amid mounting frustration over a deadlock.

The council can no longer 'just sit and hope for a resolution, said lead commissioner Tony McArdle.

The union Unite has pledged the disgruntled workforce will stay out next year if they have to, funded by strike pay.

But that can't be allowed to persist because of the impact on residents and the council's remit to deliver best value, McArdle told the Post.

"We understand that Unite have refused all the offers put on the table and the council feel it has reached the end of the road with that.

"But it can't drag on forever and ever, and just waiting isn't a strategy. There has to be a solution," he said.

He revealed the council had been told to put together a plan to conclude the dispute in the new year.