Birmingham funny man Joe Lycett on bin strikes as UB40 also give verdict
Brummie comedian Joe Lycett has opened up about rubbish issues facing his home town after UB40 also weighed in.
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Birmingham City Council is still locked in a bitter war with the Unite union over pay and conditions.
The council declared a major incident in the city following the all out strike which began last month.
Bin crews, who say a change of job roles will leave them up to £8,000-a-year worse off, have been striking since March 11 and say they will continue until September. The government and council recently urged the workers to accept a ‘fair and reasonable offer’.
Ahead of his new Sky show the United States Of Birmingham, Birmingham World spoke exclusively with Joe Lycett about the show, and about his love of his home town and some of the issues currently facing the city.
Giving his opinion on the current strikes, Joe said he hopes an agreement can be reached soon. He said: “I've been down the dump a lot, but I do love the dump, so i’m actually quite happy down there.
“I've not really been working a lot at the minute so I've got the time to fill up the boot and head on down to Tyseley, which is a wonderful place.”
He added: “I don’t really know what the negotiations have looked like, but I hope they come to some sort of an agreement relatively quickly because this is a beautiful city - we have lots of green spaces and lots of nature, and it would be a shame if any of that is jeopardised by the ongoing disputes.
“So, I’d like to see it stop as soon as possible, but if it doesn't, I won’t be that upset going to Tyseley on a fortnightly basis!”
His comments follow UB40 speaking to Sky News about the strikes.
The Brummie reggae band said: “We're fully on their side. I think they shouldn't give up, they should still be fighting.
"Working people shouldn't have to take a reduction in their incomes, which is what we're talking about here.
"We're talking about people being paid less and it seems to me with prices going up, heating, buying food, inflation and rents going up then people need a decent wage to have a half decent life… keep going boys!"
