What will finally put an end to Birmingham's bin strike?

Days after the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, called in the army to assist in the logistics side of the Birmingham bin strike (rather than collecting rubbish), after six weeks out, and even after an improved offer from the council, the Birmingham bin strike is to continue.

- SEAN O'GRADY

The latest strike ballot is overwhelmingly – 97 per cent – in favour of further industrial action. The build-up of rubbish, increasingly unsanitary conditions and the onset of warmer weather have increased the pressure on all involved to reach a settlement. Even now, it will cost £200m for a clean-up. The situation is turning critical from a public health point of view…

Whose fault is the strike?

Hard to say. No one forced Unite at the point of a gun to call a strike, nor the workers to democratically vote for such a long dispute. They do, however, feel that the changes in the pay and conditions they were being asked to accept were intolerable – Unite has claimed a planned restructuring of Birmingham’s refuse service would see 50 workers lose £8,000 a year and about 20 lose £2,000 per annum, and put 170 jobs at stake. Now, it adds that the future of the drivers is also in jeopardy. The council denies this, saying only 17 workers would be affected and “no worker needed to lose a penny”. The latest offer included temporary pay protection and a compensatory lump sum for affected workers – but it’s not enough.

What’s behind it?