From dust-filled days of the Industrial Revolution to becoming a manufacturing hub in Britain to shining on the showbiz map with 'Peaky Blinders' to now being dubbed as the 'garbage capital', Birmingham has come a long way!

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The streets in the UK's second city are filled with approximately 17,000 tonnes of trash as workers announced 'bin strike' last month. 

What is the 'bin strike' and why is it happening?

As per a BBC report, the members of the union in Birmingham announced a 'bin strike' after a dispute with the city council over plans to scrap the role of Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO). The union said that the move would lead to pay cuts. It added that about 170 affected workers faced losing an average of £8,000 (10,308 USD) a year due to the decision.

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The union claimed that the removal of WRCO would not allow them "a fair path for pay progression". It alleged that the city council is planning to downgrade the pay of other non-management roles in the service.

The 'bin strike' started with walkouts that were planned in phases. The first such walkout happened on January 6. However, the union said that the decision to move to an all-out strike was because the authority hired temporary labour during their 'walkout protest'.

The workers have been on strike since March 11 after striking intermittently since January. 

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What has the Birmingham City Council said?

Birmingham City Council said that the WRCO role was not industry standard and did not exist in other councils, as per BBC. It added that the change was part of the waste collection service restructure to make sure the workforce could meet the challenges of delivering a modern waste service. 

The authorities also claimed that affected staff would lose an average of £8,000 per year was incorrect. While the council declared the dispute a major incident earlier this week, it is causing misery for the residents who say they face a public health crisis.

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What is a 'major incident'?

A major incident is a situation that requires special arrangements to be implemented by one or more emergency responder agencies. The declaration of a 'major incident' means the council can increase its street cleaning operation, extend opening hours and fly-tipping removal and bring in extra vehicles and crews. It also allows the Labour-run council to "work with partners to better manage the risks the city is facing."

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Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton said that the announcement was made in response to public health concerns by the residents and the struggles of the authorities to clean the trash all over the city.

"I respect the right to strike and protest, however, actions on the picket line must be lawful and sadly the behaviour of some now means we are seeing a significant impact on residents and the city's environment. Unless we declare a major incident and deploy the waste service's contingency plan, then we would be unable to clear the backlog of waste on the streets," Cotton was quoted by BBC.

Negotiations and Government's response

Negotiations and talks between the union and the city council have not yielded results with the union announcing on Friday (Apr 3) that the strike would continue.

The matter was also raised in the UK Parliament with Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemning the bin strike as "completely unacceptable". Starmer said he supported the Labour-run city council's decision to declare it a major incident.

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His reaction came after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of not wanting to talk about Birmingham. Independent MP Ayoub Khan also blasted Starmer over Labour's "disgraceful" Birmingham bin strike failures.

UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner blamed the previous Tory government for the build-up of rubbish in Birmingham. However, the Birmingham City Council has been ruled by the Labour Party since 2012.

(With inputs from agencies)