Birmingham declares major incident over bin strike as piles of waste grow
GuardianMAR 14
UK: Military Planners Called in to Assist with Birmingham Refuse Crisis
Above: Overflowing garbage pictured on April 4, 2025, in Birmingham, England. Image copyright: Ryan Jenkins/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Right narrative
This sorrowful saga reflects egregious Labour Party mismanagement. Overindulgence to striking unions has created a public health crisis, putting the safety and wellbeing of those living in one of the U.K.'s major cities at risk. One of Birmingham's Labour MPs has even chosen to take a holiday amid this crisis. The government should be ashamed.
Establishment-critical narrative
The way in which both major parties have vilified low-paid workers has been a disgrace. This industrial action is not taken lightly, and was never about greed, but about the threat of staff losing a quarter of their pay. More must be done to meet the requests of striking workers.