Birmingham’s bin strike has now entered its eleventh week. With rubbish piling up and no sign of a resolution, we asked residents how they’re feeling—what they think should happen—and whether they believe the strike will end anytime soon.
00:00It's been nearly three months since the strikes began, and it's fair to say people have had enough.
00:07The rubbish hasn't just piled up, it's worn people down, and with no resolution in sight, patience is fraying.
00:14In areas like Hansworth and Sparkbrook, people say they feel forgotten.
00:18Bags lie untouched, vermin roam freely, and there's a sense this would have been sorted quicker if it were the city centre or the Letheia wards.
00:27So with the streets still full of rubbish and no end in sight, how are people actually feeling about it 11 weeks in?
00:34I'm prepared to stick with the people that are on strike.
00:39It's not great, and I know certain areas have had major problems with infestation and things like that,
00:48but from what I can gather, there's such a difference in the salaries of these people.
00:56And it's not the sort of job a lot of people want to do.
01:00I think it should hopefully come to a resolution pretty quickly.
01:05There's obviously a lot of issues with the amount of rubbish that is left around, around the streets.
01:13I mean, there's sort of two sides to the story, you know.
01:15While it's difficult for residents, I mean, to discard waste and stuff, there's still the element of the workers believe they're not paid correctly.
01:24And, I mean, they have their rights to go on strike with their union, so I guess we just have to support it.
01:30For the council, this is about long-term survival.
01:33They're trying to keep the budget afloat after declaring bankruptcy last year and say the current roles are a legal risk.
01:40For United, it's about standing up for workers facing real-terms pay cuts.
01:44That impasse hasn't shifted in nearly three months and it's the public who've had to live with the mess.
01:50The people I've spoken to aren't just fed up, they're angry.
01:53Angry at the council, angry at the union, angry that no-one seems to blink unless a camera's rolling or an election's coming.
02:00It seems as though they need to, you know, listen to what the bid men want, what they need, what they want.
02:12I mean, I understand they're going to reduce their salaries, some of them.
02:16I don't think anybody would be happy about having their salaries reduced.
02:21So I think I need to make an effort to, you know, answer what the bid men really need.
02:32Probably come closer to what they require, you know, slight compromises are required, but it needs to come closer.
02:45And after all, cost of living is rising, we will know that.
02:48So, you know, it's a major factor.
02:52If your salary is going to be reduced, some drivers probably by about 8,000, I think.
