Birmingham bin strikes could spread to other councils, says union leader

Bin strikes could spread to other council areas as cash-strapped local authorities make further cuts, a union leader warned yesterday as the dispute between refuse workers and Birmingham city council continued.

- Jessica Murray

There have been warnings of a public health emergency in Birmingham as bin bags have piled up in the streets and there has been an influx of rats more than a month after refuse collectors launched an indefinite strike.

The general secretary of Unite, which is representing the striking workers, said there could be more industrial action in other parts of the country as workers pushed back against pay cuts and job losses.

"If other councils decide to make low-paid workers pay for bad decisions that they did not make, workers paying the price yet again, then absolutely, of course, we all have to take action in those other areas," Sharon Graham told LBC.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Onay Kasab, the union's national lead officer, said: "If other local authorities look to cut the pay of essential public service workers, then there is the potential for strike action spreading. That's why different political choices need to be made."