Cliff Notes
- The UK government has mobilised military planners to assist the Birmingham City Council in addressing the sanitation crisis due to an ongoing strike by bin workers, posing a public health risk.
- The military support will consist of three office-based personnel providing logistical planning, with soldiers not deployed for rubbish collection.
- A recent ballot for refuse workers will determine acceptance of a partial deal aimed at resolving the strike, which originated from disputes over pay and job security.
Army experts called in over Birmingham bin strike
The government has called military planners to help tackle the mounting piles of rubbish in Birmingham as a month-long strike by the city’s bin workers continues.
Amid an “ongoing public health risk” posed by the mounds of waste that have been piling up, military planners will be assigned to provide logistical support for a short period.
They will be office-based and soldiers are not being deployed to collect rubbish.
WTX News understands the initiative will only involve three staff from the military.
A government spokesperson said: “The government has already provided a number of staff to support the council with logistics and make sure the response on the ground is swift to address the associated public health risks.
“In light of the ongoing public health risk, a small number of office-based military personnel with operational planning expertise have been made available to Birmingham City Council to further support in this area.”
Additional sources
Army experts called in over Birmingham bin strike as piles of rubbish grow – The Independent
Army planners sent in to help clear Birmingham’s rubbish piles– The Guardian
Labour calls in ARMY to clear up Birmingham bin chaos as strike crisis reaches breaking point – GB News