Unite, the country's largest union has warned the Birmingham bin dispute could continue until Christmas.
The union is balloting its refuse collection members to renew its industrial action mandate which could result in more strikes after the present daily strike action ends on 21 September.
Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said:
Unite has said that the local authority regarded the dispute as about working patterns, while the union said that it was about safety on the refuse vehicles and threats to the jobs and incomes of already low paid workers who could lose up to £5,000-a-year.Appealing to frustrated residents Howard Beckett added:
The council say they are forced to make savings due to funding cuts from central government. Credit: ITV News.
From the perspective of the council, they say they want to ensure that Birmingham has a 'modern, high quality, value for money and reliable refuse service' which has led to them proposing changes to their Waste Service.
