Bin workers in Birmingham begin indefinite all-out strike

An indefinite all-out strike for bin workers in Birmingham is under way, as rubbish continues to pile up in the streets.

The action officially started at 06:00 GMT on Tuesday, however, collectors have been striking on and off since January following plans to downgrade some staff and reduce their pay.

Mahmoud Barreh who lives in Balsall Heath and has not had his bin collected for three weeks, said: "People are really worried, we pay high charges of council tax, which is going to rise in April, and feel Birmingham City Council is not doing their duty."

Craig Cooper, from the authority said a "fair and reasonable consultation had been under way since last autumn".

Mr Cooper, who is the strategic director of city operations, added that the authority was "keen to have a proper dialogue on how we transform this service", but criticised the Unite Union for "only wanting to talk about the grade three role" which the authority wish to cut.

Speaking from a picket line in Tyseley, Zoe Mayou, who is the unions regional officer, said the action had been escalated as the authority "arent willing to come to the table and have proper negotiations about the whole structure of the team".

"Were here because of the removal of the grade three role, its been designated as a safety-critical role in the past and its been removed without a thought of how the team is going to work", Ms Mayou added.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Mr Cooper said the role "was not critical to health and safety" and emphasised that the responsibility sat with "every employee, not one person".

He encouraged Unite to "take a look at how bin services operate around the county", as the authority had taken advice from them, and called for it to "come back to the table".

The absence of regular waste collections has resulted in pavements piled high with rubbish bags, as well as rat infestations being reported in some parts of the city.

Mr Barreh, 58, said Balsall Heath was affected by bin strikes in 2017, however, the situation was "already far worse" than his previous experience.

"Its already started to smell, long before today, its a risk to health and we are very worried that the industrial action is now indefinite."

Mr Cooper said despite the strike action, 90 crews, compared to the normal 200, had left the citys depots on Tuesday morning and asked residents to put their residual waste out as normal.

"It may not be collected on the day, but we will get there when we can and we will get it cleared", he added.

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