Telegraph: British authorities have turned to the army over the strikes of garbage collectors
The British authorities have attracted the military to deal with strikes of garbage collectors in Birmingham in Britain, who oppose changes in working conditions, the newspaper Telegraph, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, the country’s deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, used the powers of “military assistance to civilian authorities” to enlist the army’s experts to solve the problem.
“A small number of military personnel with operational planning expertise are providing logistical support to deal with the crisis,” the newspaper said.
A government source told the publication that the military will assist authorities for a short, limited period of time to support the city council in providing the fastest possible response to the ongoing public health risk.
According to the publication, the military will work in the office.
The sources said the number of military personnel involved could be increased if necessary.
Earlier, British media reported that cat-sized rats and mountains of garbage on the streets have become the norm for Birmingham residents amid an ongoing garbage collectors’ strike, with citizens having to pay hundreds of pounds to have private companies remove at least some of the waste outside their homes.
Garbage collectors in Birmingham began an indefinite strike on March 11. They are protesting against plans to abolish a number of job descriptions, which the Unite union says will result in 150 workers’ wages being cut by up to £8,000. Birmingham City Council claim that the workers have options to maintain their current pay levels as they have been offered alternative work.
At the end of March, Birmingham City Council reported that more than 17 thousand tons of waste accumulated on the streets of the city due to the strike of garbage collectors. The local authorities declared a “major incident” regime in the city.
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