Birmingham Socialist Party members
Three weeks into the Birmingham bin strike, Unite the Union members are still in a fighting mood. Already the three full days of strike action and work-to-rule have forced the council into talks over plans to downgrade safety-critical workers on the bin lorries.
Socialist Party members joined the mass pickets at all three bin depots, with our calls for workers’ political representation definitely popular! Workers were not happy with Unite funding the Labour Party, especially as nothing has changed with a Labour government.
Workers talked about how they would like to see council-wide coordinated strike action, drawing in other workers affected by the planned £195 million of cuts.
One worker said: “It’s always a fight between us (the workers) and them (the bosses)”. Another said “We’re paying more and getting less. Everything goes up except our wages.”
Workers are determined to see the council forced back on these cuts, which will cost those affected £8,000 a year. They are prepared to escalate the number of strike days if needed. The Socialist Party bulletin, raising points on how political pressure can be ramped up on the Labour councillors responsible, and Unite members put in the driving seat of the strike, was snapped up by pickets.
