Government planned to relieve commissioners of duties before major incident over bins declared in April
 
Unite is calling on the local government ombudsman to investigate whether Birmingham’s government appointed commissioners have a financial conflict of interest in keeping the bin strike going.
 
The strikes are over pay cuts of up to £8,000 impacting around 400 workers who are either former Waste Recycling Collection Officers or bin lorry drivers.
 
At the beginning of April, it was revealed local government minister Jim McMahon planned to let Birmingham council ‘lead its own recovery’, indicating the commissioners would be phased out.
 
The plans were revealed on the government’s official website in a summary of an upcoming speech by local government minister Jim McMahon, which was deleted a few hours after it appeared.
 
Mr McMahon then delivered a different speech saying the commissioners were to stay on, after he apparently changed his mind in light of Birmingham council declaring a major incident on 1 April due to the bin strike. It remains unclear what influence the commissioners had in calling the major incident, the first time one has been called as the result of lawful industrial action.
 
Since the six commissioners arrived at Birmingham council, they have raked in around £2 million in fees and expenses, paid from local council tax. The commissioners are paid £1,100 a day, except for lead commissioner Max Caller, who earns £1,200.
 
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The commissioners have stood in the way of a deal that could and should have been reached months ago. Despite never attending negotiations, they have obstructed every effort to bring these strikes to an end - wasting millions upon millions of public funds in the process.
 
“It is now clear that the government was planning to remove them before a major incident was declared in April. The local government ombudsman must look into whether there is a potential financial conflict of interest for the commissioners to be preventing this dispute being brought to a close.”
 
In the 12 weeks since the critical incident was announced the commissioners have cost Birmingham taxpayers up to £400,000.
 
It has been revealed that despite not taking part in negotiations aimed at ending the dispute, the commissioners have been responsible for altering and weakening potential deals to resolve the strike. These actions have prevented a deal to end the strike being agreed and therefore continuing to ensure their fees continue to be paid.
 
Unlike a councillor or a council employee, there is no obligation on the commissioners to declare a pecuniary interest in the dispute, despite it being directly linked to their continued engagement.
 
This lucrative income stream would have been cut off if the deleted plans on the government’s website had gone ahead.
 
Following a fresh ballot for industrial action earlier this month, the workers have a strike mandate until December.
 
ENDS

For media enquires ONLY contact senior Unite communications officer Ryan Fletcher on 07849 090215 or 020 3371 2065.

Email: ryan.fletcher@unitetheunion.org

Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest union with members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.