Boards display support for the striking bin workers have appeared in front garden in Alum Rock
Striking bin workers have held a rally in one of the city’s worst fly-tipping hot spots – with residents appearing to back them by displaying signs outside their homes.
The Unite union invited Alum Rock locals to join them in Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s Ladywood constituency today, Friday, November 21.
Huge piles of black bin bags have been regularly dumped on roads in the road since council binmen declared an all-out strike in March.
READ MORE: Heartbreaking tributes left at spot where Yassin Alama was tragically stabbed to death
The union contacted more than 6,500 residents and said the vast majority displayed a bin sticker or poster in support of the bin workers.
More than 150 businesses, faith and community groups also pledged their support for the striking bin workers, Unite said.
Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join
General secretary Sharon Graham said: “The support of the community for bin workers is overwhelming.
Gowan Road in Alum Rock supporting the binmen(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
“The council and local MPs need to wake up and realise residents are backing the workers, return to negotiations and make a decent offer to workers.”
The ongoing strike saw huge mountains of rubbish pile up during its height, attracted unwanted headlines from around the world, and inflicted a financial cost of least £14 million on the city council.
Help a child in poverty this Christmas
Thousands of children from the West Midlands will wake up on Christmas day with no gifts – but there’s something you can do about it through our Brumwish Christmas campaign.
Order something from this Amazon wishlist and, working with Thrive Together Birmingham and Edgbaston Stadium, we will deliver direct to a poor or homeless child living in the area in time for Christmas day.
Birmingham Mail and Birmingham Live Grant a Christmas #Brumwish
Unite confirmed this week that a number of agency staff who were also members had voted to join official picket lines from December 1 amid claims of a “bullying workplace culture” at the council’s refuse department
“This is a real escalation in the dispute with agency workers now joining picket lines due to the terrible way they have been treated by Job&Talent [agency] and Birmingham Council,” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said.
Birmingham City Council previously denied the union’s claims about the department and said it did not “condone any actions which are contrary to legislation and good employment practice.”
The authority also said this week that it had “contingency plans” and “will continue to look to maintain residents with a minimum of one collection a week”.