Community panel call to help resolve bin strikes

People flocked to the site in Small Heath to dispose of their rubbish

Residents in Birmingham should be involved in talks over bin strikes, a campaigner has said.

All-out strikes began in the city earlier this month and bin bags have piled high on many streets, with an increase in rats and other vermin reported.

On Saturday, several bin lorries were swamped by hundreds of people outside Al Hijrah mosque in Small Heath, eager to get rid of their rubbish.

Shafaq Hussain, from the End Bin Strike Campaign Across Birmingham, said if the Unite union and the council could not agree, "they should have an independent arbitration or independent panel from the community who can sit down together" and look at issues.

Negotiations between the two parties collapsed on Thursday and the local authority has threatened compulsory redundancies.

Talks are set to resume on Monday and Unite said it remained determined to reach a resolution.

The union started its all-out strike on 11 March, although a series of walk-outs have affected refuse and recycling collections since January.

The dispute centres on the loss of a job role, which Unite said would see about 50 workers lose £8,000 a year, and about 20 lose £2,000.

The council disputes the figures and added that its offer meant that "no worker need lose any money". It said that offer remained on the table.

Shafaq Hussain said residents should not be held "to ransom" in the dispute

Hundreds of people flocked to the mosque on Hob Moor Road on Saturday, where trucks were parked, to offload their rubbish.

Mr Hussain said the waste collection had been organised to support the community.

He said the number of people who turned up was not unusual.

"This is a reflection of what is happening when [this] kind of bulk collection has been organised by the community... and what we're seeing across Birmingham, this is the kind of footfall we have," he said.

Bin bags have continued to pile up since all-out strikes began earlier this month, including at the site in Small Heath

The community campaigner said people were "very angry and disappointed" the council and union had not reached a resolution.

"Some common sense should prevail," he said.

"If they can't resolve this issue themselves, then they should have independent arbitration including some members of the community who are competent enough to get them together around the table and find a solution."

Asked about the threat of compulsory redundancies, Mr Hussain said residents had sympathy for "workers' rights", but they were also asking the union and workers to come to an agreement "where the community's not being [held] to ransom".