‘We already have rat problems here’

Rat and mice problems in a part of Birmingham will get worse when the city’s bin workers go on strike in the new year, residents said.

More than 350 Unite members have announced 12 days of industrial action between January and April in a dispute with Birmingham City Council over pay and safety.

The council has said it will do all it can to minimise disruption but people in Aston said they were worried.

“We have loads of mice and rat problems so if it’s left out for one week or two then it’s going to smell round this street,” Ali Urrahman said.

The father-of-three, who lives on Charles Road, said he could sympathise with the bin workers, but questioned the timing of their strike action.

“Why go on strike at a festive time? The people will have loads of rubbish,” he said.

“Some families I know, they have elderly relatives and they need extra bins for their rubbish, so where are they going to put their rubbish?”

Industrial action will be taken on 6,14, 22 and 30 January. Further action has been announced on 7, 10, 18 and 26 February, as well as 6, 14 and 25 March and 2 April.

Unite said strikes were the result of the council’s decision to “downgrade” about 170 roles, which would cost staff affected an average of £8,000 a year.

Workers had already tolerated route changes, cuts to overtime and night-time allowances and problems caused by ageing bin lorries, the union added.

Jamil Rehman, another father-of-three living on Charles Road, said rubbish was already dumped around the street and it not being collected would make matters worse.

“If you come here sometimes, it’s dumped here, over there – every road is bad,” he said.

“The bins are here, but people put rubbish in my bin and it’s just flowing out,” he added.

“It’s unfair to the people. Where are they going to put their rubbish?

“These are small houses and you can’t keep the rubbish inside… so you have to move [empty] the bins.”

He said he understood the workers raising safety concerns, but all residents were struggling financially

“If they [workers] can’t survive then they have no choice but I don’t know what will happen next,” he said.

Abul Hasanath Miftah said he wanted the authority to resolve the issue with the workers.

He said: “We would be very grateful to the council if they would take our bins on time.

He said the council should “solve the problem with the workers, they should negotiate with them – but if they strike it will be very, very bad for our community”.