'Please don’t lose hope' - Birmingham cabinet member on tackling bins strike and city’s reputation

Industrial action in Birmingham has resulted in huge heaps of rubbish bags outside homes; overflowing bins lining the streets and warnings the city faces a public health emergency.

The strike, which started in January, was triggered by a dispute between the Labour-run council and Unite the union over the scrapping of a job role.

In recent weeks, high-profile political figures have expressed deep concern over the state of the city as waste continues to pile high.

Preet Gill, a Labour MP for Edgbaston, wrote that residents were reporting a “plague of rats and cockroaches” in a letter to the city council.

Andy Street, the former Conservative mayor of the West Midlands, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Birmingham’s reputation was “in the mud again” because of the strike.

“So many did so much to change Brum’s perception, and now that’s all being undone,” he said. “But Brummie believers please don’t lose hope – our city will bounce back and it’ll need us more than ever.”

The issue has also made national and international headlines with journalists spreading news of the deadlocked dispute across the world.

Majid Mahmood, the cabinet member for environment at the council, was asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service today, March 25, about Mr Street’s comments and Birmingham’s reputation.

“I don’t think the reputation of Birmingham has taken a hit,” he said. “Yes, we’ve got industrial action and we’re dealing with it.

“My ask of Unite is come to the table, talk to us and let’s work together to resolve this for the betterment of the people of the city and bring Birmingham to the reputation we want which is the cleanest, safest and greenest city in the country.”

Mr Mahmood told the LDRS he was a “proud Brummie”, adding: “We will do everything we can to improve and better the service we provide to citizens.

“That’s why I was brought in by the leader to turn round what was and continues to be a service that doesn’t meet expectations of residents.

“That’s why we’ve invested tens of millions of pounds into the service.”

Mr Mahmood was asked what additional measures the council was taking to tackle waste in the streets, as well as the spread of rats and disease, following the letter sent to him by Ms Gill.

“We’ve expanded the opening hours at household recycling centres,” he said. “We’ve extended the number of Mobile Household Waste Centres including weekend visits, which have proved very popular.

“We’ve spoken to large organisations, including religious ones, to see if they can free up some of their car parks so we can use the service.”

He said street cleaning crews were being directed to neighbourhoods badly-hit by fly-tipping following a review of the areas they were working on.

‘We are trying to modernise the service’

Unite organised the Birmingham bins strike because of the council’s plans to scrap the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer role, which the union described as “safety-critical”.

“The council could end this dispute tomorrow by agreeing to pay a decent rate of pay,” Unite national lead officer Onay Kasab has said.

“The council is forcing dedicated workers onto pay levels barely above the minimum wage while undertaking a difficult and highly demanding job in all weathers.

“Disruption to Birmingham’s refuse service will further deteriorate but this is the fault of a heartless council which has slashed pay without a thought to the effect it is having on workers and their families.”

Mr Mahmood reiterated today that the council had made a “fair and reasonable offer”, adding: “Not a single worker needs to lose a penny.

“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 council spokesperson previously said: “Residents of Birmingham want and deserve a better waste collection service and the restructure that Unite is opposing is part of the much-needed transformation of the service.”

The authority added that its routes and working practices are fully risk-assessed and that health and safety is “everyone’s responsibility”.