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Rat fears over Brighton bin strike

10:30am Tuesday 3rd November 2009


An expert has warned the city could become infested with vermin if bin strikes continue for more than a week.

Professor Jackie Cassell, chair in primary care and public health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in Falmer, said infestation by rats and other creatures was likely if rubbish bags containing food waste were left to fester in the streets.

The warning has come as pest-controllers have reported a 26% rise in rat populations in the South East.

The entire 300-strong workforce of binmen, streetsweepers and mechanics employed by Brighton and Hove City Council's CityClean refuse department will walk out for a week on Monday in a pay dispute.

The council has until then to try to appease the workers' concerns.

Leaders of their union GMB yesterday warned they were prepared to extend the strikes if an acceptable solution was not found.

Fears have been raised the row could escalate to mirror the situation in Leeds, Yorkshire, where council binmen have been on strike for two months.

Rubbish has piled up in the streets to such an extent that Leeds Metropolitan University microbiologist Chris Boothby warned there was a public health danger through bacteria from the waste becoming airborne.

Prof Cassell said vermin would be a more significant problem in Brighton and Hove.

She said: "Given that we still do dump large amounts of food waste in rubbish which goes out for collection around people's houses, we are likely to get rat and mice infestations if it is left for any lengthy amount of time.

"Airborne bacteria is not particularly high risk but it is unpleasant. People can feel unwell when there are smells around from rubbish, they feel nauseated."


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Your Say YourArgus

Mr Pickwick, Brighton says...
10:49am Tue 3 Nov 09

Well who'd have thought it? Vast piles of rubbish attract vermin. Yer don't say. What a surprise.
BTW, you can't appease concerns.

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maxiboy_, Brighton says...
11:33am Tue 3 Nov 09

The city is already infested with vermin so we don't need any more.

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smegbuster, Brighton says...
12:16pm Tue 3 Nov 09

Is this strike still over the argument, "All jobs have got to be paid the same salary (ie, can't pay binmen more than teachers, even though a higher salary is needed to attract them), but binmen still want those higher salaries? If so, the only possible answers I see are:
a) Massive increases in Council Tax so that we can overpay ALL council workers;
b) Redundancies (and reduced council services) because the Council can't afford all the staff; or
c) Accept that averaging out the salaries will mean that some employees have to take a pay cut.

Any other thoughts, anyone?
If binmen can be sacked for striking, then that may help options b) or c)
;-)

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JKW, Brighton says...
2:08pm Tue 3 Nov 09

work to rule!, makes me laugh all binmen always work to rule, lazy so and so's...Binmen and Doctors surgery receptionists never do anymore then they have to.

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Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit, Brighton says...
2:37pm Tue 3 Nov 09

Wow! Rats! Attracted by the rubbish! I wouldn't have believed it! Thank heavens for these experts otherwise I doubt I'd be able to get dressed in the morning if there weren't this group of educated people around to help me by pointing out the blindingly obvious.

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tonyinbrighton, brighton says...
2:41pm Tue 3 Nov 09

I heard the binmen strike in Leeds has lasted more than 7 weeks...........
Thanks heavens it isn't August or we'd be a right stinky joint!

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pw08, Patcham says...
2:42pm Tue 3 Nov 09

Classic Tory council - the workers' pay gets cut and the vermin gorge themselves ...

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wardth, Preston Park says...
2:49pm Tue 3 Nov 09

Here comes the winter of discontent...

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stan bailey, brighton says...
4:01pm Tue 3 Nov 09

Trevor Weeks and his friends on the deer story hopefully will rescue them and take them home. All gods creatures and all that.

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scatman, Haywards Heath says...
6:27pm Tue 3 Nov 09

JKW wrote:
work to rule!, makes me laugh all binmen always work to rule, lazy so and so's...Binmen and Doctors surgery receptionists never do anymore then they have to.
HA. JFK, Do you know what a proper days work is, Calling the bin men Lazy, what sort of job do you do if any I wonder, Give the bins a try if you are up to it, Then make your say, You would probley only last a hour or so if that.

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upsidedowntuctuc, brighton says...
6:59pm Tue 3 Nov 09

This scare mongering to the extreme! Why would the Rats infest the streets?? Most of them will take advantage of the time off have a lie in as they dont need to be in the council yard for 7 to do their rounds and take the opportunity to have a lie in and stay at home with their wives and kids

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robsurmer, Brighton says...
7:36pm Tue 3 Nov 09

We have had a vermin problem for years in the block of flats were I live so we probably won't notice the difference! The bin men should get a decent wage for the work they do but if they are paid significantly more than other public employees why can there not be a compromise whereby they take a cut of 50% of the (up to £8000?) they are being asked to and the other employees be brought up to that level in order that they have a decent living wage. In other words they would both have £15,000p.a. You can not survive on £11,000 in this town unless you own your property outright, have no children or pets and never go on holiday, ever put your heating on, or eat anything organic! This is not a decent wage for anyone and this should be the fact debated more than dragging down these refuse collectors to this level. Why is there such a difference between London wages and Brighton wages anyway?- they should introduce Brighton weighting allowance- we have everything else London has, exorbitant house prices and rents,thuggish violent behaviour, even double decker buses....

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Skidrow, Patcham says...
7:37pm Tue 3 Nov 09

Oh dear its all got very silly.

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ryli97, brighton says...
9:33pm Tue 3 Nov 09

will people get their facts right we're not striking for a payrise their taking our money so serves the council rite if they have to deal with the problem of rats FAIR PAY..........

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stickman, Portslade says...
11:00pm Tue 3 Nov 09

Can't understand the way this new fair pay thing is being introduced. It is surely not right to drastically reduce someone's pay when they have been doing the job for years. I agree with the principle of adjusting pay to suit skill & responsibility but surely it should be phased in when new employees start.

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JKW, Brighton says...
12:12am Wed 4 Nov 09

scatman wrote:
JKW wrote: work to rule!, makes me laugh all binmen always work to rule, lazy so and so's...Binmen and Doctors surgery receptionists never do anymore then they have to.
HA. JFK, Do you know what a proper days work is, Calling the bin men Lazy, what sort of job do you do if any I wonder, Give the bins a try if you are up to it, Then make your say, You would probley only last a hour or so if that.
Worked the Bins for 5 years buddy and had a hell of a laugh, back handers all the way, and we did no more then we had to.

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JamieFischer, says...
3:21am Wed 4 Nov 09

A couple of weeks ago I bought Binifresh in ASDA. It keeps the wheelie bin smelling fresh and sprays the inside with an anti-bacterial spray. No rats here!

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John Steed, worthing says...
7:25am Wed 4 Nov 09

there are 2.500.000 unemployed on the dole at the moment and a signifcant number of east europeans who would not **** at a salary lower than is currently paid to these moaning minnies, get real lads get back to work, or else move over and let others take over.
I have always had a good word for brighton bin men having known a few of them over the years but right now, wrong argument, wrong time and why upset the very residents who pay you through their taxes.

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JKW, Brighton says...
7:52am Wed 4 Nov 09

John Steed wrote:
there are 2.500.000 unemployed on the dole at the moment and a signifcant number of east europeans who would not **** at a salary lower than is currently paid to these moaning minnies, get real lads get back to work, or else move over and let others take over. I have always had a good word for brighton bin men having known a few of them over the years but right now, wrong argument, wrong time and why upset the very residents who pay you through their taxes.
Quite right John, just like the Postal workers who are moaning that they can't piddle off home early and still get paid for a full days work, life moves on and people do time and motion studies and perks eventually disappear, when i worked on the bin it was great the work till finish which meant out of the yard at 6am in the morning in the hope that most people when they put their bins out at 8am we had been and gone and taking the odd extra bit of commercial for a tenner then and in the pub for 2pm on a friday rubbing everyone elses nose's in it, it's gone now and the Unions will have to put up or shut up.

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Christophe Hawtree, Hove says...
9:32am Wed 4 Nov 09

More recycling of food (and less waste of it) means fewer rats.

Get a composter. It's so easy.

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Skidrow, Patcham says...
10:32am Wed 4 Nov 09

Then read the instructions that come with your composter & see its for peelings & eggshells only. Where are they going to put a composter & what are they going to do with all the compost in the 50% of properties which are flats and converted flats?

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ryli97, brighton says...
10:53am Wed 4 Nov 09

JKW wrote:
John Steed wrote:
there are 2.500.000 unemployed on the dole at the moment and a signifcant number of east europeans who would not **** at a salary lower than is currently paid to these moaning minnies, get real lads get back to work, or else move over and let others take over. I have always had a good word for brighton bin men having known a few of them over the years but right now, wrong argument, wrong time and why upset the very residents who pay you through their taxes.
Quite right John, just like the Postal workers who are moaning that they can't piddle off home early and still get paid for a full days work, life moves on and people do time and motion studies and perks eventually disappear, when i worked on the bin it was great the work till finish which meant out of the yard at 6am in the morning in the hope that most people when they put their bins out at 8am we had been and gone and taking the odd extra bit of commercial for a tenner then and in the pub for 2pm on a friday rubbing everyone elses nose's in it, it's gone now and the Unions will have to put up or shut up.
if thay dont strick thay will be loseing 8,000 a year so after tax thay will be on nuthing an most like my partna have a family to feed an keep a roof over our heads its not rite at all

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Bubs, Brighton says...
11:54am Wed 4 Nov 09

I don't think any of the people who have commented above would like it if it was their own salary which was being cut, and if we are talking of reduction of up to £8000 pa is just not realistic. Who has that kind of money spare? It is irrelevant what job description we are talking about, most people stretch their finances to provide the best they can for themselves and their families and any reduction in income is going to be very difficult to cope with. Considering this measure is being presented as a way of making earning fairer, the way it is being introduced appears very unfair indeed.

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Skidrow, Patcham says...
12:02pm Wed 4 Nov 09

Hands up all those who;

* earn the same as binmen
* think they are overpaid
* can afford to lose £8,000 a year.


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Alf Jones, East Sussex says...
3:19pm Wed 4 Nov 09

For the binmen to be expected by their employer to slash their wages by £8K per annum when Britain is in its worst economic depression since the 1920's, is like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas.

The spirit & intention of the Equal Pay legislation required increasing the lower pay to the higher, on a staged basis if that was agreed - NOT reducing the higher pay to the lower level to achieve equality.

The Councillors and the Council Officers evidently couldn't run a tap successfully let alone a local authority.

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ryli97, brighton says...
7:18pm Wed 4 Nov 09

John Steed wrote:
there are 2.500.000 unemployed on the dole at the moment and a signifcant number of east europeans who would not **** at a salary lower than is currently paid to these moaning minnies, get real lads get back to work, or else move over and let others take over.
I have always had a good word for brighton bin men having known a few of them over the years but right now, wrong argument, wrong time and why upset the very residents who pay you through their taxes.
rite time john rite argument too.
i av mouths to feed they need to bring lower pay up not cut every1 elses plus us binmen pay taxes too mate

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greeg, glasgow says...
11:33pm Wed 4 Nov 09

Binmen earn what they do for historical reasons.It bears no relation to the skill,danger involved,or the conditions endured while carrying out the job as it did years ago.It isn't a dirty,heavy and dangerous job it was in the 1970's.This job is, i'm afraid,a minimum wage job now.The party's over and it would be better to wake up now,rather than later.
ps.it's great that the Argus showed a photo of a rat,otherwise we wouldn't know what one looked like!

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Skidrow, Patcham says...
8:21am Thu 5 Nov 09

Well I don't know what they throw away in Glasgow and perhaps I'm just a soft southerner, but being a binman seems to me to be a dirty heavy & dangerous job.
The latest pay increase for bin men (are there any women, lbgt's, job share, part time, compressed working week or disabled?) puts them on £21519 max. Does that represent "danger money" from a bygone era? Sure, the councils have had to fulfil their duty of care to their staff & make their job safer where they can, but each age has its own dangers - far less cars to tailgate/overtake dustcarts in the 70's & far fewer addicts dropping their needles after use or "responsibly" putting them in the nearest bin. Some hazards never change, such as broken glass in bins. There is also a fair degree of skill involved in manoeuvring a dustcart round the overcrowded double parked streets. They may have introduced black bags, hi viz vests and some wheelie bins since the 70's but its still a dirty heavy dangerous job & should be paid as such.

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greeg, glasgow says...
5:44pm Thu 5 Nov 09

Skidrow wrote:
Well I don't know what they throw away in Glasgow and perhaps I'm just a soft southerner, but being a binman seems to me to be a dirty heavy & dangerous job. The latest pay increase for bin men (are there any women, lbgt's, job share, part time, compressed working week or disabled?) puts them on £21519 max. Does that represent "danger money" from a bygone era? Sure, the councils have had to fulfil their duty of care to their staff & make their job safer where they can, but each age has its own dangers - far less cars to tailgate/overtake dustcarts in the 70's & far fewer addicts dropping their needles after use or "responsibly" putting them in the nearest bin. Some hazards never change, such as broken glass in bins. There is also a fair degree of skill involved in manoeuvring a dustcart round the overcrowded double parked streets. They may have introduced black bags, hi viz vests and some wheelie bins since the 70's but its still a dirty heavy dangerous job & should be paid as such.
You've obviously never watched an active binman.I can't remember the last time i put out a black bag that was over 5kg in weight,if they think that's heavy,they're in the wrong job.There's no danger of these binmen getting it so easy anywhere else,that's their only danger!
To satisfy your curiosity,it's rubbish they throw away in Glasgow.

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