BIRMINGHAM today faces the spectre of black rubbish bags piling up in the streets and a city services shutdown as a strike vote by council workers is confirmed. More than 20,000 workers have been balloted over the controversial new pay and grading system which will see many lose basic pay. Refuse collectors, road workers, librarians, leisure centre staff, street engineers, carers, cleaners, caterers, office and administ ration staff will all down tools over the issue. About 14 per cent of the 40,000 staff affected stand to lose money, many of them thousands of pounds a year. According to trade union sources, they have voted for strike action beginning on February 5. Most of the votes are in and already counted, but an official declaration will not be made until the final ballot, by construction union UCATT, closes this afternoon. Ballots from the four other unions at the council - Unison, TGWU, Amicus and GMB - have already closed. Binman Wayne Edwards, from Weoley Castle, said: "We had our meeting the other day and were told we would be losing £68 a week, which totally unacceptable. "But the top earners of this council will not be losing anything. How is it they are exempt from this pay structure, how is this fair? "Nobody can afford to have money took off them in this immoral way. If anything, they should lead by example and be prepared to take a pay cut themselves. If we are going to lose money, they should practise what they preach," Mr Edwards said. A mother of three, who works at a city council neighbourhood office, said that she could not afford to lose £2,500 a year. City human resources chief Coun Alan Rudge (Con, Sutton Vesey), the man responsible for the new pay system, said that the door is still open for negotiation with the trade unions, but insisted that a pay settlement must be affordable to the council taxpayer. | 
