Birmingham firefighters back striking bin workers and won't clear rubbish, union says

The Labour-run city council declared a major incident last week amid rising concerns of risks to public health, with huge piles of rubbish and overflowing bins becoming a common sight.

The industrial action was triggered by a dispute between the local authority and the Unite union over plans to scrap the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO), with the disagreement splitting opinion among residents.

Roger Harmer, leader of the Liberal Democrats at the council, argued recently the authority “must consider bringing in the army and fire service” as part of a backup plan to help tackle the situation.

But in a statement issued today, April 7, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it would advise members not to carry out any “strike-breaking work” and described Coun Harmer’s remarks as “clueless”.

FBU general secretary Steve Wright also declared the union’s “full solidarity” with bin workers “in their fight to defend their pay, jobs and conditions” and called on the council to settle the dispute.

Andrew Scattergood, Fire Brigades Union Executive Council member for the West Midlands, said: “It is laughable to suggest that firefighters would be brought in to collect bins during a strike by refuse workers.

“Coun Harmer’s clueless remarks are clutching at straws when there is a clear solution – to treat refuse workers with the respect they deserve.”

“Firefighters are humanitarians and trade unionists – we do not break strikes,” he continued. “The FBU would advise members to refuse to carry out such work.”

Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, added: “Birmingham bin workers are public servants who provide an essential service.

“It’s time for Birmingham Council to settle this dispute.”

A government minister meanwhile has also recently responded to calls for the Army to be mobilised to clear the backlog of rubbish on Birmingham’s streets.

During a visit to Birmingham last week, Darren Jones, chief secretary to the treasury, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The government is in conversations with the council – I’m not sure we’re going to need tanks on the ground to get the bins collected.

“I’d be surprised if that was the case but clearly we’ll do whatever we can to make sure we can help the council get a grip of the situation.”

The city council has previously said that declaring a major incident would initially allow it to increase street-cleansing, work with partners to better manage health and fire risks, allow increased data and intelligence sharing and explore support from neighbouring authorities.

Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton said last Monday, March 31: “It’s regrettable we have had to take this step.

“But we cannot tolerate a situation that is causing harm and distress to communities across Birmingham.

“Unless we declare a major incident and deploy the waste service’s contingency plan, then we would be unable to clear the backlog of waste on the streets or improve the frequency of collections.”

The authority said all of its waste wagons were deployed from its three depots citywide earlier this morning (April 7).

Unite has previously argued that the council’s plans to scrap the WRCO role would force “dedicated workers onto pay levels barely above the minimum wage”.

But the council’s political leadership has repeatedly insisted that a “fair and reasonable offer” has been made.

“Not a single worker needs to lose a penny,” Coun Majid Mahmood, the council’s cabinet member for environment, told the LDRS recently. “Every worker has been offered the same grade and the same pay within the street scene division of the city council.

“We’re here because we are trying to transform and modernise the service.”

A city council spokesperson previously said options of asking for help from the Army or Fire Service were not currently being explored and it was looking at measures to clear the backlog and keep trucks moving as part of a multi-agency approach with local partners and neighbouring local authorities.

West Midlands Fire Service sources said there was ‘absolutely no truth’ in rumours fire crews were being asked to help clear rubbish mountains in the city.