Enda Brady: UK correspondent on Birmingham bin strike continuing after workers reject latest offer

A lengthy strike carried out by bin workers that has left rubbish piling up on Birmingham's streets will continue after union members rejected the latest offer from the council. 

The strike action, which began in early March, has resulted in thousands of tonnes of rubbish going uncollected.

UK correspondent Enda Brady has expressed concerns about a potential health emergency.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Into Brady, UK, corresponding with us right now, Inda, Hello
to you.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Well, hello stranger, congratulations and welcome back.

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Thank you very much, very much, very happy to be back,
very happy to be talking to your good self in
to tell me what's going on with the boomingham bin strike.
Where are we at?

Speaker 2 (00:16):
So the papers have some interesting information here today as
we're into week five now of Birmingham, the second city
of England, not having its bins connected collected. Would you
believe the union officials driving this industrial dispute none of
them live in Birmingham kelcer Preeze. So they're the ones
sitting around the negotiating table saying that this isn't good enough,

(00:39):
that isn't good enough. One of them lives fifty miles
outside of Birmingham. Another lives in Kingston upon Thames, Southwest Leafy, London,
nowhere near Birmingham. And guess what their bins are being
collected every week. So it's fascinating what's going on and
the whole dispute. It turns out the changes to the
working can in pay will affect seventeen bin men. Seventeen

(01:04):
bin men are holding the city of Birmingham one point
two million residents to ransom. It is shocking what's going on.
And meanwhile German newspapers are running headlines rats as big
as cats and that is what's happening in Birmingham right now.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
So they're bringing the military strategist rather than your average soldier.
But do you have any idea what a military I
don't know what a military strategist is, do.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
You fellows who sit behind desks looking at computer spreadsheets.
I mean, what the people of Birmingham need right now
is boots on the ground and bins off the street.
You don't need to be a strategist to work out
what needs to happen. And mark my words, Heather, I
had colleagues there yesterday filming. They were finding rats dead
in the street. The next thing will be some sort

(01:47):
of wild disease or some sort of public health outbreak.
Five weeks of not having public refuse collected. It is
beyond disgraceful.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
It's a bit black plague, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
It is it is, But I mean when you look
at who the union leaders are, where they're living, I mean,
where is the leadership? And it turns out starmers on holidays.
By the way, the Prime Minister's finally taking a break,
So this ain't going to be fixed this week.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Hey, where are we at with the efforts to save
British steel? Are they getting anywhere?

Speaker 2 (02:21):
So this is rumbling on. Today is a big day.
But apparently a shipment of coking coal has arrived at Immingham,
which is the nearest port to Scunthorpe, that will be
transferred at speed to the blast furnaces. Because the suspicion
was that the Chinese owners were going to run down
the blast furnace so it went out. Apparently they're extremely

(02:43):
difficult to restart, and then all the contracts were making
steel would have been transferred to mainland China. That was
the plan. So ultimately the other day, would you believe it,
the Chinese leaders on site barricaded themselves into a boardroom
and they could only be got out when the local
lea were called. That is where we are. So there's
a big debate now over Chinese ownership of critical infrastructure

(03:06):
in the UK. I think a lot of people are
just wondering. You know, who you do deals with? It's
not worth it.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
No, not at all. Now are we really in a
position where Dublin is not going to have a vote
on who should be the mayor.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yes, so what I'm hearing from all the authorities in Ireland,
there was going to be a National Plebis site on
whether or not to have an elected mayor of Dublin
like they have with Side Cahn in London and Andy
Burnham in Manchester. Dublin's a big city. It drives the
Irish economy. But there is the specter of a political
career looming for one Connor McGregor. The authorities do not

(03:43):
like him in Ireland. They don't want him running to
be president in November, and I think he's going to
struggle to get on the nomination ballot for president. However,
he could run to be mayor of Dublin and to
offset that and to make sure it never happens, they've
now decided, you know what, we'll without the mayor.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
How do you feel about that, Inda.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Given that it could be Connor McGregor. I don't like
the guy personally. I think he is not a good person.
He is not a good ambassador for Ireland and I
would question why he is going into politics. I mean,
he popped up in the White House on Saint Patrick's Day,
Trump seems to surround themselves with these Andrew taits and
Connor McGregor's. I don't think Connor McGregor going into politics

(04:26):
is good news for anyone in Ireland, and certainly any
migrant in Ireland who we're seeing pictures social media people
being harassed the whole time. I mean it's getting very
very nasty and there will be Irish people listening to
this in New Zealand. We've gone all over the world unhindered.
No one has bothered us. I just find that our
country in a very strange place right now. If McGregor

(04:48):
runs for president, do you know what, Heather? If he
runs for president, I'll go up against them and let's
see who wins.

Speaker 1 (04:54):
I'd poud to say that in the Thank you very much,
I really appreciate We're going to hold you to it
in The Brady UK Correspondent.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
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