AGENCY workers will join a rally by their directly employed colleagues when they join the long-running Birmingham bins strike next week.

The group, employed by Job & Talent on the refuse contract, will support strikers directly employed by Birmingham City Council on picket lines.

The Job & Talent workers voted in favour of strike action amid alleged “bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting” at the council’s refuse department two weeks ago.

Unite the union said the number of agency workers joining the strike action was growing daily.

It said strikes over alleged fire and rehire pay cuts of up to £8,000 by directly employed bin workers, which have been running since January, could continue beyond next May’s local elections.

The directly employed bin workers voted to extend their industrial action mandate earlier this month.

“Birmingham Council will only resolve this dispute when it stops the appalling treatment of its workforce,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.