Birmingham City Council has pulled out of mediated talks aimed at ending a long-running strike by refuse-collection workers, saying it has “reached the absolute limit” of what it can offer on pay. Council leader John Cotton confirmed the authority was “walking away” from negotiations facilitated by the conciliation service Acas and would now press ahead with changes to the waste service. The Unite-represented workforce began industrial action in January and escalated to an all-out strike in March after the council moved to scrap Waste Recycling and Collection Officer roles. The union says about 170 employees risk losing up to £8,000 a year, a figure the council disputes as significantly overstated. With talks collapsed, the council signalled that redundancies are likely, although voluntary severance, redeployment and training options will be offered. Mountains of uncollected rubbish have accumulated across Britain’s second-largest city, and no date has been set for fresh negotiations.