Birmingham bin strike brings out rats as indefinite walkout starts | Global News Avenue

In recent weeks, piles of wheel bins and black bags have become commonplace in Birmingham.

This is because garbage collectors have been on and off since January – which shows.

Many streets are scattered with contents of trash bins, and along with the paths of animals, there is garbage everywhere.

As rodents enjoy a feast under the influence of the rows, rat infestation has been reported in parts of the city, a plan to downgrade some employees and lower wages.

On Tuesday, an indefinite all-out effort prompted fears of the scale of pests plaguing certain areas.

The committee said it had united the union with a “fair and reasonable” proposal, with the company members staged a series of one-day strikes.

In some parts of the second city, residents say no bins have been collected since mid-February.

Ward End’s store owner Abu Shah described the situation as “terrible”.

“People leave the bin everywhere,” he said.

“The mice are slowly entering them and opening them. You can see the diapers come out.

“It’s going to get worse. Someone needs to do something about it and make an agreement.”

Teddy Smith, who has lived in Digbeth for 15 years, said it was “terrible”.

“There are rats infesting here now. They are having lunch every day,” he said.

“(The trash) is still alive at night, alive completely. If you stay like this… I don’t know what will happen in the future. It will get worse.”

Pest control experts have been calling since the one-day strike began.

William Timms, owner of WJ Pest Solutions, said his growth was 75%.

“There are rats in the front garden and access is obtained because of the trash bin being left out.

“We will be overwhelmed by them. It’s incredible at the moment. A full strike will make the situation worse.”

He urged people to keep garbage bags on the ground and away from the walls so that rats cannot catch them.

Unite claims that 70 employees could lose up to £8,000 a year, and its country chief official Onay Kasab has been described as “absolutely abominable” and “shocked”.

“We don’t want to strike, but that’s not necessarily the case,” he said. “Our members are on strike because we want to reach an agreement.”

The commission’s finances have been under supervision by government commissioners since the authorities declared themselves effectively bankrupt in 2023, who said only 17 employees would be affected by the changes and no one would lose as much as the union suggested.

A spokesman added: “While the reasonable proposals made by the Council are united, this escalation of industrial action will mean disruption to residents.

“For changes to the services affected by the minority of wage workers (now only 40 people), we have provided alternatives.

“Our doors are still open and we encourage Unite to get back to the table.”