Oscar Parry, Camden and Haringey Socialist Party
Unite the Union organised a protest outside parliament on 16 June as part of its Fair Funding Now campaign for local government. Council workers from across the UK attended, including a double-decker bus full of Birmingham bin workers, who have been taking all-out strike action for months against a Labour-run council.
The protest takes place as councils are in crisis after years of severe cuts to public services and jobs. UK local authorities were £122 billion in debt as of 2024. Meanwhile, the Local Government Association estimates that councils will still face a funding gap of up to £8 billion by 2028-29 and 43% of England’s 317 councils are at risk of bankruptcy.
Labour
Socialist Party members at the protest gave out leaflets advertising the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) conference taking place on 5 July in Conway Hall, London, with the title: “Preparing to take on Starmer and the bosses”. A running theme of the protest was massive anger at the Labour government. The Birmingham bin workers who spoke on the platform were quick to point out that Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner is backing Birmingham Labour council cutting services, including 600 jobs, raising council tax 25% over the next two years, and continuing to work with ‘commissioners’ appointed by Tory Michael Gove, who can claim expenses of £1,100 a day while decimating public services.
The bin workers are on strike as the Labour council attempts to abolish a ‘grade 3’ role, which will lead to a pay cut of up to £8,000 for those workers affected, this was condemned as ‘fire and rehire by any other name’ from the platform.
‘We’re coming for you’
The general secretary of Unite, Sharon Graham, said: “If you are a hostile employer, expect Unite to come for you, no matter the colour of your rosette.” Bin workers didn’t mince their words though. “Keir Starmer is a wanker” was the most popular chant of the day, despite attempts by union organisers to offer more neutral alternatives. And almost everyone at the protest signed the petition launched by 25 current and former trade union national executive members from eleven unions titled: ‘Time for trade unions to take the lead in building a new working-class party’ showing how this group of fighting workers isn’t only angry but recognises the need for its own voice.
It is Unite official policy, long fought for by Socialist Party members in the union, to call on councils to set no-cuts budgets, using reserves to buy time to build a national campaign to demand more funding. The trade unions should be preparing now to stand their own candidates fighting against cuts and for fully funded services, including in the May 2026 council elections.
