Up to 1.5 million households could be affected by bin workers going on strike in the coming weeks.
Refuse collectors at over 13 councils across the country have a strike mandate for industrial action, meaning their bargaining team has permission to call for a strike against employers.
It is part of a wider dispute around pay and working conditions affecting 23 councils, 13 of which include refuse workers, organised by Unite. Coventry, Warrington, Ipswich, Cardiff, Bath and North East Somerset, Wigan, Wrexham, Sefton and Darlington are among the dozen or so councils affected.
The first wave of bin strikes hit the capital last week causing widespread disruption in Tower Hamlets. Mountains of rubbish piled outside primary schools, restaurants, GP surgeries and resident’s homes.
Rubbish is piling up outside schools, homes and businesses across the borough of Tower Hamlets— (Andrea Silva)
Initially set to last two weeks, dates were extended after employees rejected a national pay offer for a flat rate increase of £1,925 per year. The strikes, which began on the 18th September, are now set to last until the 15th October affecting over 125,000 households.
“The smell is absolutely disgusting. Just putrid, rotting rubbish. There are rats on the streets. I can’t have my windows open because of the smell and the flies coming in,” said local resident Ms Andrea Silva, 53, who has lived in Tower Hamlets for over twenty years.
She says foxes have been ripping apart hundreds of bin bags, causing soiled nappies, food and other waste to spill out across the street. “It’s a health hazard,” she said.
Mr Shad Chowdhury, 54, a former councillor, is concerned for children as he took images of multiple bags of commercial waste piled against the railings of Christ Church Primary School last week.
Residents fear for the health of children at Christ Church School, Brick Lane— (Shad Chowdhury)
“It’s on the way to my kids’ school,” he said. “The smell is bad, it’s not safe for children. I support the workers, it’s not their fault, the price of everything has gone up but the Council needs to be doing a lot more to pay for a private collection.”
Businesses are also impacted as Brick Lane, one of the country’s most famous streets for dining, is one of the worst areas affected. Restaurant owner Mr Shams Uddin, 64, has been running The Monsoon for decades. “This is a really difficult time for businesses,” he said.
“The smell is so bad no-one wants to come in and eat. It’s quieter than usual anyway because people have come back from holiday and are staying in. This has made it worse. It’s not just us, everywhere is affected.”
Residents say soiled nappies are being ripped out of bin bags by foxes and “there are rats on the streets"— (Andrea Silva)
Another local resident, Ms Sylvia Patkos, 48, says: “It’s utterly unmanageable. I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like after a month of this. I wish the Council would just give the workers the money because it’s going to cost them a whole lot more now. They’ll need an army to clean this up.”
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesperson said: “Naturally we are disappointed as keeping Tower Hamlets’ streets clean and litter free is our priority. However, following concerns from the borough’s Fire Commander last week that the accumulation of refuse was becoming a serious safety issue, the council begun employing private contractors to help with the backlog of waste.
“The strike is over a national pay dispute and this is not something we can negotiate at a local level. While dialogue has been ongoing with Unite the Union throughout, the council also began negotiations last week to see if a local resolution could be found which could result in an end to the strike.”
Newham Council workers were due to strike yesterday but reached an agreement with employers on Friday. Meanwhile, Huntingdonshire strikes, organised by Unison are confirmed to take place on 6th October.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members provide critical frontline council services. Despite the essential roles they undertake, their employer thinks it is acceptable to propose what amounts to yet another real terms pay cut, at a time when they increasingly can’t make ends meet.
“Unite members are staging a fightback. As a result, low paid workers across the whole of Newham council have secured a payment of £750.
“It just goes to show what workers can achieve when supported with the full force of their union, Unite, and a council that is prepared to listen.”
Local business owner Suhal Ahmed who owns Aladdin and multiple other restaurants on the street reported Brick Lane had been cleaned this afternoon, but surrounding areas such as Whitechapel Road and Bethnal Green Road remained covered with “mountains of rubbish.”
