‘Get round table and drop opposition,’ No 10 tells Unite amid Birmingham strike

Downing Street said Unite must ‘drop its opposition’ to changes ‘needed’ to resolve equal pay issues (Jacob King/PA) - (PA Wire)

Downing Street has told Unite to start “negotiating in good faith” and “drop their opposition” to pay changes at the heart of a dispute with Birmingham council that saw tonnes of rubbish piling up on the city’s streets.

In a robust intervention on Friday, Number 10 said police have installed barriers at the picket line to prevent waste lorries being “recklessly blocked” as workers strike.