British Army specialists have been called in to help with the escalating rubbish crisis in Birmingham, triggered by an ongoing bin strike. The full-scale industrial action, which commenced on March 11 due to a pay dispute, has resulted in thousands of tonnes of uncollected waste and warnings of a public health emergency.
A Government spokesperson confirmed the decision to involve military planners was “in light of the ongoing public health risk”.
The spokesperson clarified that the deployment would comprise a “small number of office-based military personnel with operation planning expertise”. Birmingham City Council had previously sought help from neighbouring authorities.
The military officers will not be collecting rubbish themselves. Instead, a handful of planners will be assigned to offer temporary logistical support for a brief period.
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. 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.”
Rubbish collectors from the Unite union commenced a strike on March 11, sparking severe public health concerns as refuse began to accumulate across Birmingham’s streets. Amidst the escalating crisis, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner intervened last week to persuade Unite members to agree to an “improved” proposal, while Health Secretary Wes Streeting remarked that the situation has “escalated way out of hand”.
Tensions have been exacerbated between Labour and Unite due to the continuing strife, with Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham condemning “the constant attacks and briefings against these low-paid bin workers”. She emphasised: “It is important to reiterate the truth, as opposed to the lies being peddled in an attempt to distract. 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.”
While the council insists that only 17 employees will be impacted, with losses far below what Unite contends, Ms Graham disclosed that a provisional accord on income protection for a subset of workers was already in place. She called on the council to agree to a broader proposition put forth by the union. A new vote to potentially conclude the strike is slated for Monday.
