Negotiations to end a bin strike in Birmingham have today failed to result in an agreement – leaving residents with growing piles of rubbish outside their homes.
Bin workers began their strike on 11 March and Birmingham City Council declared a major incident on 31 March, citing public health concerns.
Workers are striking due to a long-running dispute over the role of the waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) being removed, which will leave about 150 members £8,000 worse off according to the Unite union.
The council – which denies the claim – has been meeting with representatives from the union.
On Tuesday morning, its leader told Sky News it is “very keen to get a resolution to the dispute” but another day has now passed without an agreement.
A Unite spokesperson told Sky News there have been “intensive talks but no resolution tonight”.
Meanwhile, a Birmingham city councillor today resigned from Labour over cuts and the bin issues, after 40 years of membership.
Birmingham bin strike: Why are workers striking and how long will it last?
Spending a night hunting the rats running riot amid Birmingham bin strike
‘It’s just nasty’: Birmingham residents ‘overwhelmed’ by foul stench and massive rats as bins strike rumbles on
National correspondent
James Barrett has a new daily chore.
He mixes litres of disinfectant with water and loads up his garden sprayer.
He then hoses down the enormous pile of rubbish that’s been dumped on the pavement right outside his terraced home.
“You get depressed sometimes, but everyone comes and tips their bags – it’s been here for almost five weeks.”
The mound of black bin bags and other junk is about 5ft high and grows everyday – the flies buzz around and there’s rat bite marks in the bags.
The disinfectant is helping with the stench, but the squalor is causing more heartache.
It is James’s grandmother’s funeral next week and the organisers have told him they won’t be able to bring her coffin on to his road in Bordesley Green, Birmingham.
“I want this moved because the undertaker said no way he could get in there with a hearse.
“He said he wouldn’t come because he might get stuck.
“She was a lovely woman, she liked it here and I’d like to get her down here. But I can’t until this is moved.
“It would mean an awful lot to me… but it’s not going to be possible.”
That’s the grim reality of this industrial dispute which is still not resolved – it’s infuriating for people living amongst it.
Sam Forsyth, representative for the Quinton Ward, told Sky News: “I can’t stomach the fact we’re in the middle of a bin strike where this is rubbish rotting in our streets and there are rats running around.
“I’ve raised this [issue] for three years and nobody has listened. Enough is enough.”
Read more:
Why workers are striking
Rats chase clean-up staff
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‘Rat’ questions council
With rats “the size of cats” living amongst the rubbish bags piling up in the streets, one resident sported a rodent costume to question councillors over the crisis.
“By what date does the council think it will have reduced the backlog, reduced the rat population and returned our streets to an acceptable state?” he asked.
“Before I answer your question, you’re lucky that Brummie the Cat is no longer in residence at the council house,” a councillor replied.
