Paul Couchman, Staines Socialist Party
GMB members working for Amey, an outsourced bin collection service in Surrey Heath and Elmbridge councils, have been on strike over pay. They provide a vital service and are proud of what they do.
Most were offered £11.13 an hour, and were battling to be paid enough to support themselves and their families against a backdrop of rapidly rising prices, while Amey made tens of millions of pounds in profits last year. I visited their Camberley picket line on 10 August and offered solidarity from my Unison branch, from the National Shop Stewards Network and from the Socialist Party.
The strike has now won, after members accepted an improved offer.
