Firefighters in Birmingham will be advised not to collect rubbish during the ongoing bin strike, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has declared.
The union has rejected a suggestion from Liberal Democrat councillor Roger Harmer that the fire service should be brought in to help tackle mounting waste problems in the city.
The FBU said Harmer's remarks were "clueless" and expressed "full solidarity" with striking bin workers in their long-running dispute with Birmingham City Council.
Andrew Scattergood, FBU Executive Council member for the West Midlands, said: "It is laughable to suggest that firefighters would be brought in to collect bins during a strike by refuse workers."
'It is laughable to suggest that firefighters would be brought in to collect bins during a strike by refuse workers,' the service's union said (file photo)
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He added: "Firefighters are humanitarians and trade unionists - we do not break strikes. The FBU would advise members to refuse to carry out such work."
FBU general secretary Steve Wright also said: "Birmingham bin workers are public servants who provide an essential service. It's time for Birmingham Council to settle this dispute."
Birmingham City Council declared a "major incident" last week amid rising concerns over public health risks from uncollected waste.
Huge piles of rubbish, overflowing bins and rats have become a common sight across the city as the strike continues.
The council said declaring a major incident would allow it to increase street-cleaning and work with partners to better manage health and fire risks.
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The strike was triggered by a dispute between the local authority and Unite union over plans to scrap the former's 'Waste Recycling and Collection Officer' role
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The industrial action was triggered by a dispute between the local authority and Unite union over plans to scrap the former's "Waste Recycling and Collection Officer" role.
Unite has argued that scrapping the WRCO role would force "dedicated workers onto pay levels barely above the minimum wage".
However, Councillor Majid Mahmood, the authority's cabinet member for environment, insisted a "fair and reasonable offer" has been made.
"Not a single worker needs to lose a penny," Mahmood said. "Every worker has been offered the same grade and the same pay within the street scene division of the city council."
"We're here because we are trying to transform and modernise the service," he added.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned that the bin bags, rats and 'other vermin' piling up on the streets was a public health calamity
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The council said all of its waste wagons were deployed from its three depots citywide on Monday morning - which follows calls for the Army to be mobilised to clear the rubbish backlog.
Those calls were addressed by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, who said on a visit to Birmingham last week: "I'm not sure we're going to need tanks on the ground to get the bins collected."
Then on Tuesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned that the bin bags, rats and "other vermin" piling up on the streets was a public health calamity - and urged Unite to call off its "unacceptable" strikes.
He said: "I'm urging Unite to do the right thing, stop blocking the bin lorries and allow people to get out there and clean the streets for the people of Birmingham who suffered for far too long."
