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'Bin strike frustration is turning into anger'

Gavin Kermack
BBC News, West Midlands
Abdul Khan Seven men standing in a line. They are all wearing orange high-visibility tabards and all but one are wearing blue baseball caps. In front of them is a large pile of blue bin bags. A street sign nearby reads "SHAKESPEARE ST".Abdul Khan
Abdul Khan (second from left) and the Sparkhill Litter Busters have increased their litter-picking in an effort to keep the streets clear

For the past four years, Abdul Khan and his team of volunteers have become used to picking up rubbish from the streets of Sparkhill, an inner-city area of Birmingham.

But now, a month since the start of the indefinite walkout by the city's bin workers, the Sparkhill Litter Busters have had their work cut out.

Mr Khan said that the volunteers had not only noticed "an increase in activity" in trying to keep their areas clean, but that residents' frustration was "definitely turning into anger" - not least because of concerns over the impact of the strike on people's health.

The latest round of talks between Birmingham City Council and the union, Unite, ended in stalemate on Tuesday.

The Litter Busters are made up of dozens of volunteers who describe themselves as "dedicated to cleaning up the streets of Sparkhill".

Members "adopt" a local street and commit to cleaning it regularly.

But after several weeks without rubbish collections across the city, the group's coordinator, Mr Khan, said frustration was growing.

"Obviously you get people putting black bags on the corner of roads," he explained, "and next thing you know, within a few hours, there's a whole mountain of bags.

"We had a massive clean-up a couple of weeks ago, where there was about 30 volunteers plus, and 50-plus bags were collected."

EPA A large pile of black bin bags, with a few carboard boxes and other bits of rubbish interspersed throughout. The pile appears to be partly on the pavement and partly on the road. Cars are parked in the background, and two people are walking on the pavement away in the distance.EPA
Mr Khan said frustration over the state of Birmingham's streets was growing

Mr Khan said people were also concerned about the impact of the strike on their health.

"You've got young children walking past and obviously elderly [people].

"We just try and keep the main areas, where people are going to be using schools and stuff, clean - just to have some sort of normality where we can.

"But obviously it's a very big ask."

A man with thinning grey hair, a short grey beard and glasses with black frames is standing what looks like a public square or plaza. He is wearing a pale blue shirt, a red tie and a dark-coloured coat.
Unite's national lead officer Onay Kasab said an offer which had been made was unsatisfactory

Unite members are due to be balloted on Monday on one aspect of the dispute, which focuses on pay protection for bin workers.

National lead officer Onay Kasab said it would be up to members to decide how to vote, but he considered the offer which had been made - details of which he would not reveal - to be "deficient".

"As far as what's being offered is concerned, it's only for a minority of people," he told the BBC on Friday. "For me, it is not good enough."

Mr Khan welcomed news of the ballot as offering a light at the end of the tunnel but said the council and union needed to resolve the situation as a matter of urgency.

"Get round the table, get the negotiations done, and try and get it resolved as soon as possible," he said.

"[There is] 17,000 tonnes of rubbish in the city... so even if it does get resolved, it'll take a bit of time to catch up and get this rubbish collected."

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