Birmingham could call on Black Country councils to help as major incident declared over bin strike

Since the industrial action started in January, residents have been forced to endure rats in the streets; smells lingering over neighbourhoods and an estimated 17,000 tonnes of uncollected waste.

The strike was triggered by a dispute between Birmingham City Council and the Unite union over plans to scrap a role within the waste service, with the disagreement splitting opinion among Brummies and sparking calls for resignations.

As concerns over risks to public health continue to escalate, the council has declared a major incident to address the impact of the industrial action.

It said it had a contingency plan using its “limited resources” to collect from all properties in the city once a week – but claimed actions on the picket line at bins depots had prevented it from doing this.

As part of its ‘contingency arrangements’, it said it was increasing caretaking capacity for council tower blocks to avoid the “build-up of refuse and improve fire safety”.

It is also looking to increase the opening hours of its tips for a second time to increase capacity.

The council has increased the availability of its mobile household waste collection vehicles from five to seven days a week too.

The council said declaring a major incident would initially allow the council to:

1. Quickly increase the availability of street cleansing and fly-tip removal with an additional 35 vehicles and crews around the city.

2. 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.

3. Initially this will be focussed upon ‘support to allow its vehicles to safely exit and enter depots’.

4. Explore what further support is available from neighbouring authorities and government to assist in managing the situation.

'Regrettable'

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

“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.”

Unite has described the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role, which is at the centre of the dispute, as “safety-critical”.

Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab said previously: “The council is forcing dedicated workers onto pay levels barely above the minimum wage while undertaking a difficult and highly demanding job in all weathers.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham also argued the council had tried to “smear Birmingham refuse workers with totally baseless accusations of threats and intimidation on peaceful picket lines.”

But Coun Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment, said earlier this month the council had made a “fair and reasonable offer”.

“Not a single worker needs to lose a penny,” he said. “Every worker has been offered the same grade and the same pay within the street scene division of the city council.

“We’re here because we are trying to transform and modernise the service.”

He claimed that “caving in to the demands of Unite” could mean a potential risk of a “huge equal pay liability”.

The council previously said its routes and working practices were fully risk-assessed and that health and safety was “everyone’s responsibility”.