Bin collection strikes in Birmingham are to carry on after refuse workers rejected an offer from the city’s council that would have ended the long-running dispute.
Rubbish has been piling up on the city's streets and there have been warnings of a public health emergency after hundreds of workers went out on an all-out strike more than a month ago.
The Government has intervened to try to bring about an end to the deadlock and has urged the Unite union to accept the deal.
In addition, a small number of office-based military planners were called in by the Government to give logistical support to efforts to clean up the streets, and more than 11,000 tonnes of waste have been collected so far, according to local government minister Jim McMahon.
Read also: Birmingham rubbish strikes set to continue after bin workers reject offer
He said the council had put a “fair and reasonable” offer on the table.
Unite said its members in Birmingham voted overwhelmingly against what the union described as the council’s “totally inadequate” offer, which it maintained still included pay cuts.
The union's general secretary, Sharon Graham, said pay would be cut by up to £8,000 under the council's plans. She urged the Government to call a meeting with the stakeholders to address the issues and bring the strike to an end, as well as urgently to consider Unite’s proposal for debt restructure at Birmingham City Council.
Birmingham Council said it was disappointed, adding that “our door remains open” to continue discussions.
Further talks are planned for Wednesday.
Here is what we know so far about the issue.
What is happening in Birmingham?
Rubbish is piled high on the streets of Birmingham as a result of the strike by refuse workers, which began on March 11 in a dispute over pay.
Unite union members have rejected a deal aimed at ending the strike, saying the council’s offer was “totally inadequate”.
Ms Graham said: “For weeks, these workers have faced attacks from government and their employer pushing the lie that only a handful of workers are affected by the council’s plans to cut pay by up to £8,000.”
The deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, had urged members of the Unite union to accept an “improved” deal, while the health secretary, Wes Streeting, said the strike had “escalated way out of hand”.
But the dispute has further strained relations between Labour and Unite, and Ms Graham has spoken out against “the constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers”.
She added: “The Government must now call a meeting with the stakeholders to ensure these steps are taken to bring the strike to an end.”
What are the impacts? Residents plagued by rats
Rats have been seen scurrying around the discarded bags of rubbish and there are fears of a public health emergency.
Adam Yasin, 33, from the Balsall Heath area of the city, said his Mercedes was “completely written off” just weeks ago because rats had chewed through wires in the engine bay.
He said: “Because of that certain wiring, the car wouldn’t start. They said they need to rewire the whole car but the insurance company said it was too expensive.”
Black bin bags have been piled outside the home of 42-year-old Jyoti Rathod in Balsall Heath, which she described as “horrendous” but “clean compared to the past few weeks”.
She said: “I think everyone was hoping that they would come to a solution because it’s not fair on the residents now. Because we work I don’t get time to go to the centre to drop off the rubbish.
“We’ve seen a couple of dead rats and they are quite huge. Really, really, really huge rats. But the stench last week was horrible. It’s frustrating.”
What now? Military planners called in
Birmingham City Council has already appealed to neighbouring authorities for assistance and the Government has sent in Army planners to provide temporary logistical support. They will be office-based and soldiers are not being deployed to collect rubbish.
A Government spokesperson said: “The Government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.”
The union, council and, most of all, Birmingham’s residents are hoping the stalemate can be broken soon.
The business and trade minister, Sarah Jones, told BBC Breakfast: “Fundamentally what needs to happen now is the strike needs to be called off. Unite needs to accept the offer that’s on the table. It’s a good offer and that is what we are asking them to do, and that is the way we’re going to get back to normal in Birmingham.
“Now I know that other councils are sort of coming in to support, that there is logistical support from the Army and that some private sector support is already there, but of course, it’s completely unacceptable, the images are awful and people have enough to worry about in their lives without having to worry about rubbish collection alongside it.
“So our message loud and clear is that Unite needs to call off the strike, accept the deal, and let’s get back to normal, which is what people expect and what people deserve.”
Could there be strikes in London?
The Birmingham industrial action has led to fears that bin strikes could spread to London and other parts of the UK.
Clare Keogh, the national officer for local government at the Unite union, has warned of the “massive potential” for the situation to escalate “up and down the country”. She said union members were angry at Birmingham City Council’s refusal to back down in the dispute.
Additional ballots for industrial action are under consideration in other areas but there has not been a vote for a strike in any London borough as yet but the union has not ruled this out.
