Birmingham looks like ‘third-world city’ because of bin strikes, say locals

Ongoing bin strikes that have seen 17,000 tonnes of rubbish dumped on the streets of Birmingham have left many areas of the city looking like a “war zone” and a “third world country”, locals say.

Brummies say the row is making them fear for their health, with many calling on central government to step in and resolve the crisis.

Shocking photos over the last few weeks have shown mountains of fly-tipped rubbish and overflowing bin bags strewn across the UK’s second city.

With the all-out strike dragging on since March 11, a “major incident” was declared on Monday by Birmingham City Council, but many locals say the local authority still hasn’t done enough.

“We can’t believe it has been allowed to get to this point, it has become a public health issue for sure,” said father-of-two Emil Laursen, 34, of Balsall Heath.

“We are fast transforming into a third world city. The place is becoming a joke. It had worked for years to shake off this label of being a dump. But just look at the streets now… We’re back to being laughing stock.

The Birmingham Bin Strikes have entered their third week — Residents are angry that the situation has been allowed to continue for so long and are worried for their health. (SWNS)

“We’ve seen some amazing community spirit with people helping to clear the mess but others have just dumped bags anywhere and everywhere.

“Some are taking no pride in the area and the effect has been these scenes of absolute carnage, like a war zone.”

Mazar Dad, 56, a former senior manager at a Birmingham waste depot who now works for the Mecc Trust charity in Balsall Heath, said the problem has become “tremendously worse, week by week”.

“The rat population has increased, you’ve got cats and foxes roaming the streets ripping open bags for food,” he said.

“It is just appalling there has been no adequate contingency plan put in place and now we have tonnes of waste on the streets.

“If the strikes ended tomorrow, it would still take months and months to shift the rubbish caused by this fiasco. We definitely need central government intervention, I cannot believe it has been allowed to get to this stage.”

Birmingham City Council said actions on the picket line had been blocking contingency vehicles from getting out of the depot to collect what rubbish they could.

Why is the bin strike happening – and how long will it last?

Members of the Unite union have been on all-out strike since March 11 in a dispute over pay and job losses.

It follows a long-running dispute over the role of waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) being removed, which the union claimed would cost 150 staff £8000 a year each.

Industrial action began in January, but the strike action escalated in March 11 when Unite said more than 350 of its members would walk out indefinitely.

Unite has said members will continue to strike unless “hugely damaging” cuts to bin workers’ wages are reversed.

In a statement on Monday, the union said Birmingham City Council is “prepared to throw much more cash down the drain” with its major incident declaration “than it would cost to resolve the dispute”.

It claims the declaration is “an attempt to crush any opposition to attacks on jobs, pay and conditions that are set to extend to other workers across the council”.

Birmingham City Council has advised residents to continue putting their household waste out and says rubbish will be collected “as soon as possible” but there has been little sign of the industrial dispute being resolved.

It says no other council in the country has the WRCO role, which came as a result of a previous strike, and said it would risk “a huge future equal pay liability” if it gives in to strikers on this issue.

“No worker need lose any money. All workers have been offered alternative employment at the same pay, driver training or voluntary redundancy. That offer remains open.”

What is a ‘major incident’?

By declaring a major incident, Birmingham City Council says it will be able to take three steps:

Quickly increase the availability of street cleansing and fly-tip removal with an additional 35 vehicles and crews around the city.
Work with partners to better manage the risks the city is facing, including health and fire risks and allow for increased data and intelligence sharing. The council says this will initially be focused on support to allow vehicles to safely exit and enter depots on its own time.
Allow the council to explore what further support is available from neighbouring authorities and the government.

Birmingham City Council said a major incident needed to be declared following “rising concerns of risks to public health and damage to our environment”.

Its leader, Councillor John Cotton said: “It’s regrettable that we have had to take this step, but we cannot tolerate a situation that is causing harm and distress to communities across Birmingham.

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“I respect the right to strike and protest, however actions on the picket line must be lawful and sadly the behaviour of some now means we are seeing a significant impact on residents and the city’s environment.

“Unless we declare a major incident and deploy the waste service’s contingency plan, then we would be unable to clear the backlog of waste on the streets or improve the frequency of collections.

“I want to thank residents for their continued patience under difficult circumstances and the community groups who have been working hard within their communities to help with clear-up.

“I would reiterate that we have made a fair and reasonable offer to our workers which means none of them have to lose any money and I would urge Unite to reconsider their position.”