Bin collections suspended because of 'mega-picket'

All bin collections have been suspended in Birmingham on Friday because of industrial action.

The city council said it had decided to suspend collections because it expected disruption at all of its depots due to a "mega-picket". It apologised for the disruption and said it aimed to catch up at the weekend.

Some residents in the Hockley area of the city did not get a collection on Thursday either, the second week they had been missed, leaving two weeks worth of rubbish strewing the roads.

The council has been involved in a year-long dispute with members of the Unite union over pay and conditions.

The council asked people who were due a Friday collection to leave their bin out, so the rubbish could be collected as soon as possible.

Brookfield Road in Hockley does not have wheelie bins, due to bin lorries not being able to access all of the homes, so residents are asked by the council to put their bin bags out onto the pavements on Wednesday evenings so they can be collected on Thursday.

But the street has not seen a collection for two weeks, leaving piles of bags blocking the pavements and seeing residents being forced to walk in the road.

A group called Strike Map, which records the locations of strikes around the country, said it had co-ordinated the day of action.

It said it expected thousands of trade unionists to visit the city for the pickets.

The co-founder of Strike Map, Henry Fowler, said there would be more co-ordinated pickets until the strike was resolved.

Unite is in dispute with Birmingham City Council over several changes the local authority is making, including getting rid of a job role within the refuse operation and cutting another role's pay.

The council said it was "forging ahead" with transformation of the waste service, which needed improvement.

Unite claims that the council is now refusing to negotiate, but the local authority maintains the union has rejected "fair and reasonable" offers.

Earlier in the week, the city council reported that protesters were blocking the entrances to its depots, causing delays to departing bin lorries.

In some areas of the city, bins have not been emptied for a second week in a row, causing rubbish to build up on pavements.

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