City's bin strikes leave residents embarrassed

Jo Broadhurst said the headlines around the bin strikes were "highly" embarrassing

People in Birmingham admit they are embarrassed after the city's bin strike, with scenes of bin bags piled several feet high and reports of rats on the loose, sparked headlines across the country.

The industrial dispute has also been reported on by media around the world and saw the Australian Broadcasting Corporation run a headline about rats on the loose in the UK's second-biggest city.

Residents told the BBC the strikes gave Birmingham "a bad name" when it was a city they wanted to be proud of.

The dispute showed no sign of ending as the union Unite continued to claim bin workers were being hit by cuts, while the council would not make pay concessions amid concerns about equal pay.

Jo Broadhurst, from Kings Norton, said she was disabled and had issues getting rid of her waste while she also had friends who were bin workers, whose livelihoods and families were affected.

After what had been a local authority dispute caught the attention of worldwide press, she said she was "highly" embarrassed.

Carole Handley said she wanted to be proud of Birmingham but she was not

Carole Handley, from Erdington, felt "sick to the stomach" about the impact on the city's reputation, and said: "This is my city. I want to be proud of it. I'm not."

She said she had friends who previously lived in Birmingham but moved to Cumbria and Hampshire.

They did not want to hear about the industrial dispute but instead asked for updates about the rats, Ms Handley said.

Bin bags have been piled nearly as high as the first floor of homes on some Birmingham streets

Residents have described seeing roads overrun by rats going after the rotting waste, which caused a stench over parts of the city.

One man saw dead vermin in the road after they had been hit by cars.

Other people said there have been cockroach infestations.

As bags piled up in areas of the city and were left uncollected, they were also torn open by foxes, seagulls and cats.

Ellijah Nyassas said the dispute, with the rubbish and rats, had given the city a bad name

Birmingham resident Ellijah Nyassas said it had given the city a "bad name", adding: "We've already got a reputation as it is."

He said it made him ashamed to be British.

"Our accent is constantly made fun of. It just adds to the list of things that we can't stand being said about our great city," Mr Nyassas added.

Cyclist Roy Loache told the BBC he was surprised the news made it as far as Australia.

He also spoke about the embarrassment, adding: "There was a time we were known for innovation and invention but that's all gone now – engineering and stuff like that.

"This is what's put us on the map at the moment, the bin strikes.

"It's crazy."

Roy Loache said the city used to be known for invention and engineering

Kelly O'Hanlon, a PR expert at Birmingham City University, said the situation was not helping Birmingham's image nationally or internationally.

"When I came to [Birmingham] 23 years ago… it was seen as a bit of a concrete jungle," she said. "There's been a lot of change over the years to try and improve the image but also improve the lives of its residents.

"And this latest story is doing neither."

Once the situation is resolved, residents might think about helping to rehabilitate the city's image, she said.

"Look at all the different beauty points we have - the canals, all the beautiful monuments and statues that we have, the historic buildings," she said.

"So I would suggest that once this is rectifed… go and take those photos and show that we are more than just bin bags piled up on the street."

Further negotiations

The latest talks in the dispute ended without a breakthrough last week.

A spokesman for Unite said talks were inconclusive and the union had asked for clarity on a number of points.

"It was agreed that there would be further regular negotiations but dates for further talks have not yet been set," he added.

For Birmingham City Council, a spokesman said while no resolution was reached, "the tone was constructive and we are working on the matters raised".

The council was in touch with Unite over future meeting dates, he added.

Unite previously warned the dispute could stretch into the summer, while the city council asked residents to keep putting their rubbish out as normal.