All bin collections in the city will be cancelled tomorrow because of a threatened ‘megapicket’ outside the main depots
Birmingham bins strike protest held in December(Image: Jacob King/PA Wire)
All bin collections across Birmingham will be cancelled tomorrow, Friday, because of a planned ‘megapicket’.
Birmingham City Council has announced it will be closing all three of its depots, meaning there will be no collections, on ‘health and safety’ grounds.
Organisers of the picket – the third in a series – claim thousands of trade unionists and supporters will be descending on the city.
READ MORE: Birmingham bins boss survives calls of ‘no confidence’ amid strike fury
The mass picket is being coordinated by Strike Map, a worker-funded organisation that tracks and supports industrial action across Britain and Ireland.
It comes as the bins dispute enters its 14th month over a council restructure of its waste service that has seen its bin crews cut from four to three, and the jobs of hundreds of drivers and loaders downgraded or deleted.
The council has since rejected union calls to resume talks, claiming it cannot meet their demands to compensate affected workers without risking a new wave of equal pay claims.
In a statement the council said: “Due to expected disruption across all our depots because of the announced ‘mega-picket’ we have decided to suspend collections today, Friday 30/1.
“We are sorry for the inconvenience and aim to catch-up across the weekend. If your collection is scheduled for today please leave your bin out and we will collect as soon as possible.”
The megapicket held in support of Birmingham’s striking bin workers on December 1, 2025(Image: Jacob King/PA Wire)
A text message sent by the council to agency workers earlier today stated: “Due to the planned disruption caused by the mega picket tomorrow, Friday 30 January 2026, the council have taken the decision to suspend the refuse service on health and safety grounds for that day. All staff will be paid a standard day as a result and normal service will resume.”
The message was sent by the Job and Talent agency on the eve of Strike Map’s ‘Megapicket 3-D’, which brings together trade union leaders, unions and politicians in solidarity with Birmingham’s striking bin workers.
Strike Map co-founder Henry Fowler said: “Our megapickets are growing with every action we take. This strike has united three political parties, the labour movement and the people of Birmingham in condemning the cuts imposed by this council and its commissioners. We want to be absolutely clear: we will be back again, and again, and again until these workers win. We stand with the Birmingham bin strikers.”
‘Megapicket 3-D’ has been backed by trade unions, senior union leaders and MPs from across the political spectrum, with speakers expected from Labour, the Green Party and Your Party.
National unions, including the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), have pledged full support. FBU General Secretary Steve Wright has called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to intervene and bring the dispute to an end.
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The Megapicket is supported by: ACORN Birmingham, ASLEF, Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP), Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), Birmingham TUC, Blacklist Support Group, Communication Workers Union (CWU), Coventry TUC, DPAC Birmingham, Equity, Fire Brigades Union (FBU), General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), Green Party, Manchester TUC, NASUWT, National Education Union (NEU), NHS Workers Say No!, NSSN, Oxford TUC, Peace and Justice Project, Psychotherapy and Counselling Union (PCU), Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), Royal College of Podiatry, Troublemakers at work, UNISON Greater Manchester Transport Branch, UNISON Homerton Hospital Branch, We Demand Change, Wolverhampton, Bilston & District TUC, Your Party
Strike Map is a group of trade union activists who have mapped over 230,000 workplaces taking action since 2020. The map is ‘worker-powered’ and relies on trade unionists uploading their action. It aims to document and present the levels of strike action in the country, enable others to see the levels of action and pass on messages of solidarity and encourage other workers in their struggles.