Striking bin worker speaks out on risks and cuts

Steeven Biset is hoping for a resolution within weeks

A binman who was run over about a month ago has said managers "who've never done a day on the job" do not understand the risks.

Steeven Biset is on strike in Birmingham - which is in its third week of all-out action by refuse collectors as Unite fights restructuring and pay cuts - but he hopes for a resolution within weeks.

Describing how he was hit by a car, Mr Biset said: "I looked left, I looked right. As I looked right, all I saw was a bonnet. The job doesn't come without its risks."

Birmingham City Council said the job was fully risk-assessed, with workers advised to report any health and safety issues.

Residents have reported seeing cockroaches, foxes and rats around the piles of rubbish

With about 350 bin workers on strike, the city has been hit by scenes of uncollected binbags piled several feet high, while headlines about rats and cockroaches have made the news.

Foxes, cats and seagulls have been tearing open the plastic, and residents have described a stench over areas of the city.

Mr Biset, who lives in Small Heath, said most of the binmen on strike were also Birmingham residents, adding the strikers wanted the situation resolved as much as the public.

"The only ones that are going to clear this up are us," he said. "Not the bosses who have made this whole mess in the first place. All we can do as Birmingham residents and binmen is apologise for the situation."

He said: "I implore the public to please stay as patient as they possibly can."

'Mortgages to pay'

Unite has claimed restructuring will see about 50 workers lose £8,000 a year, and about 20 lose £2,000 a year.

Mr Biset said he stood to lose £2,000 a year, but the workers facing an £8,000 cut would lose £650 a month, adding: "They could potentially become homeless."

The council has said, "No worker will lose the sums Unite are claiming."

The binman, who is spending his days on the picket line where members of the public are dropping off food for strikers, said: "We're just trying to retain the little that we've got."

The workers are getting paid by the union while the action is ongoing, he said, adding: "If it wasn't for the union, a lot of us would have been in a lot of trouble, especially those that have got mortgages to pay for and kids."

A council statement said there were now about 40 workers whose wages are impacted by changes to the service.

It said they had been offered alternatives that included "highly valuable LGV driver training for career progression and pay, and other roles in the council equivalent to their former roles".

According to the authority, the planned changes are in line with national practice, because Birmingham's current arrangement is not "industry standard", and the restructure is crucial to the council's need to become financially sustainable.

The council said 17 people could lose the maximum amount of just over £6,000 a year, but would have pay protection for six months.