I’m a Birmingham bin collector – this is what my day looks like and why I went on strike

NOVANEWS
Household rubbish piled high on the streets of Alum Rock in Birmingham during the refuse collector strike
Household rubbish piled high on the streets of Alum Rock in Birmingham during the refuse collector strike (Getty)

This refuse collector, who has asked to remain anonymous, is a long term employee at Birmingham City Council

I have been a refuse collector for the past 22 years. I have and still do enjoy my role and I’m proud of the work I provide to the residents of Birmingham.

A typical day for me starts early. I wake up at 4:30am and have to be at work to clock in at 6am. Some guys start slightly earlier at 5am or 5:30am – this helps with the distribution of the fleet in the morning. The driver is responsible for getting the vehicle ready; this includes a thorough vehicle check to ensure safety while out on the road. It’s also a legal requirement.

Read more: Julian Knight: Birmingham bin stink is a vision of a Corbynite future

As the Grade 3 leading hand, I make sure the other team member (grade 2 loader) is ready, too. Often this individual is replaced daily. We have a large number of vacancies across the service and these are filled by agency staff on zero hour contracts (who continually sign a document that waives their right to full time employment). Some of these team members have worked as agency employees for several years without gaining full-time employment – I think the longest term is nine years. Currently we have between 250 and 280 agency employees, who make up 40 to 50 per cent of the staff. 

Once we leave the depot, we travel to our work location and commence regardless of weather conditions. We are provided with personal protective equipment and waterproofs but they’re not the best. Most of us buy our own which are expensive as you need to keep dry, warm and comfortable when the weather is bad.

Daily target: 1,500 properties

“When we don’t complete our round, management consistently use intimidating behaviour to make us do more.”

Our daily target is around 1,500 properties. This is often difficult to achieve as we do not operate like other local authorities who do kerbside, closed-lid collections. For some reason (which has never been explained to us) we have to collect the bin from the edge of the property and return it, often with the lid open. We also take waste from the side of the road. This adds considerable time and affects our productivity levels. Ironically, we are now being criticised for not performing like other local authorities, which beggars belief.

When we don’t complete our round, management consistently use intimidating behaviour to make us do more. We have a 15-minute concession break at around 9am in the morning. We used to have this in the vehicle due to harassment because of productivity. There are no washing facilities on the vehicles that work – we’re just given wipes and hand sanitizer. We also have a 30-minute lunch break at 12pm.

While we are delivering the service we come across all types of situations. Administering first aid to a resident, giving someone’s car a push, calling an ambulance for an elderly person who has fallen over in the street. Admittedly these are rare, and we’re mostly dealing with residents who have questions.

We are the face of the council

Mostly residents are OK with us. We are the face of the council they see week in week out, and as the job is so repetitive, we get to know them well.

The refuse vehicle is around 12 tonnes when empty and twice that when full. The driver’s vision is limited and although there are cameras, these won’t stop a child from running around the back of the vehicle, or coming too close. They won’t stop a resident from attempting to throw their own waste into the back either. The issue with this is the lifting mechanism for the bins is automatic and is activated by a sensor, so when an untrained person gets close, they can be seriously injured. My role is safety critical. I’ve lost count over the years of how many times I have prevented a serious accident.

“About two years ago, a car drove into the back of a bin wagon and nearly killed the loader. If it wasn’t for the wheelie bin, he would have been crushed to death between the truck and the car. Instead he broke his leg, three ribs and ruptured his spleen.”

The daily issues we have mainly involve motorists who are in a rush to get to work. They get too close, become abusive, aggressive, even drive their cars onto the pavement to get by. There is an instance of this nature every day.

If we had a route risk assessment, we would be in quieter areas during rush hour. But we are the only local authority not to have a route risk assessment in place. I have discussed it with my union representative who continues to raise the issue and has done so for the past three years. About two years ago, a car drove into the back of a bin wagon and nearly killed the loader. If it wasn’t for the wheelie bin, he would have been crushed to death between the truck and the car. Instead he broke his leg, three ribs and ruptured his spleen.

We finish our round at about 3pm. We travel back to depot where the driver empties the truck and gets it ready for the next day. We clock out at 3:37pm.

The reason I went on strike

The reason why I took part in the strike action was to protect my terms and conditions, such as my pay, and to ensure the safety critical role is safeguarded. I would have had my pay reduced by £3,500 to stay as a bin man, but still be expected to do the role I’m doing now.

For over 20 years it’s been one I enjoy, despite all the problems I face on a daily basis. I’m also proud of what I do. If I lose my job, it will have a serious financial impact on my family circumstances. I’ve already re-mortgaged our house once. It was a few years ago after I lost £4,000 from my basic salary.    

“All this crap about improving performance is, well, crap.”

The new proposals affect me as the new model would mean I will have to work five days a week instead of four. The four-day week is just over nine hours a day and the five-day week would be just over seven hours a day – both are 37-hour weeks. I would lose my rest day when I actually get to rest. Also the daily target for the new five-day week means I have to do more properties (around 50 to 70 a day) with two hours less to do them in. All this crap about improving performance is, well, crap.

My colleagues and I want to apologise to the residents of Birmingham for the disruption and the rubbish that accumulated outside their houses. Industrial action was a last resort for us. We only want to safeguard the role and put a model in place that will actually work. If it’s any consolation, we the employees are also residents. I did not have a collection at my address for five weeks.

Most of the residents we speak to understood our fight after we had the chance to explain the facts to them. All they hear in the local media is the propaganda spin by the council. Although they had the rubbish piled outside their houses, they supported us.

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