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| Army planners sent in to help clear Birmingham’s rubbish piles | |
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| Government calls in military experts as month-long refuse workers’ strike brings warnings of public health emergency | Government calls in military experts as month-long refuse workers’ strike brings warnings of public health emergency |
| Office-based military specialists have been called in to deal with the mounting piles of rubbish on the streets of Birmingham after a month-long strike by refuse workers. | Office-based military specialists have been called in to deal with the mounting piles of rubbish on the streets of Birmingham after a month-long strike by refuse workers. |
| Tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish have gone uncollected and Birmingham city council has declared a major incident and issued a public health warning since the all-out-strike by Unite union members began on 11 March. | Tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish have gone uncollected and Birmingham city council has declared a major incident and issued a public health warning since the all-out-strike by Unite union members began on 11 March. |
| The council had already appealed to neighbouring authorities for assistance but the government has now asked for help from the British army in tackling the crisis. | |
| This will involve some of the military’s office-based planners being called in to provide logistical and administrative assistance for a short period. It will not involve deployed soldiers collecting bins. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| “In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham city council to further support in this area. | “In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham city council to further support in this area. |
| “This builds on a range of measures we’ve supported the council on to date – including neighbouring authorities providing additional vehicles and crews, and opening household waste centres to Birmingham residents.” | “This builds on a range of measures we’ve supported the council on to date – including neighbouring authorities providing additional vehicles and crews, and opening household waste centres to Birmingham residents.” |
| More than 17,000 tonnes of rubbish has piled up in the streets since the industrial action started intermittently in January and progressed to an all-out strike in March. | |
| The dispute is over plans to scrap the higher-paid waste recycling and collection officer role from council fleets, which the council claims risks creating a “huge future equal-pay liability”. | |
| Last week Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, 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”. | Last week Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, 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”. |
| The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has condemned the “constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers”, claiming that the long-running dispute was adding further strains between the Labour party and Unite. | The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has condemned the “constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers”, claiming that the long-running dispute was adding further strains between the Labour party and Unite. |
| “It is important to reiterate the truth, as opposed to the lies being peddled in an attempt to distract,” she said. | |
| “This dispute is not about greed or increased pay. This dispute is about workers losing up to £8,000 of their pay – which for some is almost a quarter.” | |
| Graham added that a partial deal on pay protection for some workers had already been agreed and urged the council to accept a wider offer the union had put forward. | Graham added that a partial deal on pay protection for some workers had already been agreed and urged the council to accept a wider offer the union had put forward. |
| The council says only 17 workers will be affected, and they stand to lose much less than Unite has claimed. | The council says only 17 workers will be affected, and they stand to lose much less than Unite has claimed. |
| A further ballot on a deal to end the strike is expected to take place on Monday. | A further ballot on a deal to end the strike is expected to take place on Monday. |