Unite the Union has been ordered to pay £265,000 after being found in contempt of court for breaching an injunction designed to stop unlawful picketing during the long-running Birmingham bin strike.
Mrs Justice Jefford, sitting in the High Court, ruled that the union’s actions in obstructing waste collection vehicles away from council depots were deliberate, and rejected arguments that the breaches stemmed from a genuine misunderstanding of the court order.
The injunction, granted on 23rd May 2025, restricted picketing to designated areas outside three depots and limited the number of pickets to six. It also prohibited obstructing vehicles leaving the sites.
But between 8th and 21st July, union members repeatedly blocked waste vehicles on roads near the depots – sometimes within 500 metres – by slow walking in front of them. The court heard that on some days, 20% of collection rounds could not be completed.
Unite initially argued that the injunction only applied to protests ‘in the immediate vicinity’ of the depots. It did not accept that obstructing vehicles further down the road was a breach until after taking legal advice on 25th July, following the contempt application.
The judge rejected the union’s explanation. ‘I do not accept the evidence of Ms Kilcline as to what Unite thought the injunction meant,’ she said, adding that any purported belief was an ex post facto justification.
While the union eventually apologised and took steps to prevent further breaches, the judge found culpability high. ‘It would have been obvious to anyone giving the Order a reasonable reading that the purpose of the injunction was to stop picketing and protesting impeding the collection of rubbish,’ she said.
The fine reflects the union’s size – Unite has around 1.2 million members and annual income exceeding £200 million. The judge noted that a lower penalty would have ‘little impact’ and send the wrong message about the importance of complying with court orders.
Unite was also ordered to pay the council’s costs, with an interim payment of £170,000 due within 14 days. The union had admitted the breaches but contested the sanction.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘Unite will not allow these workers to pay the price for the council’s failings in their pay packets.
‘Rather than resolving the dispute, Birmingham city council’s own figures have confirmed they have spent £33m of Birmingham residents’ money trying to break the strike. It won’t be broken – these workers are fighting for council workers everywhere.’
Graham added: ‘every single penny will come out of Labour’s affiliation fee’, referencing the fact that the union last week announced they would cut donations to the party because of its position on this very strike.
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