This past week Birmingham has been making the national news for all the wrong reasons.
The bin strikes blighting the lives of residents, businesses and visitors to the city have now rumbled on for weeks – with reportedly 17,000 tonnes of uncollected rubbish left piling up on the streets.
In an attempt to limit the damage of this ‘Spring of Discontent’, beleaguered Birmingham city council has finally declared a ‘major incident’ – allowing it to, legally, divert more resources on to the problem.
But that alone won’t solve the issue. Residents are fed-up (to put it mildly) and the Chamber of Commerce has warned the strikes are harming the image of the city. A mighty understatement.
It’s now time for serious action to put an end to this disgraceful situation.
The council must take a firm stand
antony morrison
At the heart of the problem is the council’s self-induced financial woes triggered by an equal pay ruling that has all but bankrupted the authority. As a result, it needs to cut costs fast – with the heavily-unionised refuse collectors’ terms and conditions in its sights and the removal of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role.
Supporters of the changes say this is the only way to save the necessary funds – and bring Birmingham into line with other local authorities.
For the good of the city, it’s time for Unite to pause the strikes and come to the table for serious negotiations based on a realistic and pragmatic recognition of the city’s dire financial situation.
If they do not, the council must take a firm stand. Rapidly training up new bin staff while diverting other employees to temporarily take on bin-collecting duties.
The alternative is endless misery for residents, further damage to the city’s battered reputation and likely redundancies among the very workers the union claims to protect.
*To read the other side of the debate, see Bhanu Dhir’s ‘Viewpoint’ on the bin strikes.
