Joel Mayfield, Striker
When anti-union employer Veolia resorted to a High Court injunction against effective protest, Sheffield’s striking refuse workers, Unite members entering the eleventh month of their fight for union recognition, were all agreed on the need to up the ante. Taking inspiration from the Birmingham ‘mega-picket’ on 9 May, Sheffield bin strike supporters decided to raise the profile of this dispute with a mass picket of our own!
Early on the morning of Wednesday 9 July, at least 150 people mobilised at short notice for a display of solidarity with the ‘Lumley Street Warriors’. There was a carnival atmosphere, everyone present – from Kent miners to Doncaster train drivers – could see and feel the meaning of solidarity. Bodies and banners came from London to Liverpool, including a 15-strong contingent of striking refuse workers from Birmingham. Sheffield’s bin strike isn’t yet as well-known as it should be, but we’re certainly getting the word out now!
Veolia bosses weren’t feeling confident about testing the enforceability of their injunction. We discovered that the company had dispersed lorries from the depot 75 minutes earlier than permitted by the council’s noise abatement regulations. Awe-inspiring speaker and miners’ strike veteran John Dunn likened this to “creepy crawlies” scurrying out from underneath an upturned stone!
Veolia has been placed on notice, they’ve had more than fair warning regarding their anti-union activities. If Veolia fails to recognise Unite before the one-year anniversary of the Sheffield bin strike in August, we’ll be calling on the wider movement to mount an even bigger mass picket to coincide with the 12-month mark.
Demand the Labour-led council intervenes
Simon Jenkins, Sheffield South East Socialist Party and Sheffield trades council
This dispute is simply about the right for workers to choose which union represents them. As an executive member of Sheffield Trades Council, I can report that we are supporting that fight.
Bin collections are being affected, despite what Veolia and the council say – I can say this as a Sheffield resident. The council tries to cover with overtime working by non-Unite members or agency workers.
After the mass picket, we assembled outside Sheffield town hall to lobby the council meeting. A petition collected by Unite with over 6,000 signatures forced a public debate, plus a Socialist Party petition was put forward asking the council to intervene. I asked a question on behalf of the trades council.
Councillor Joe Otten answered that this is between GMB and Unite unions. But the council privatised waste management in 2001 and have sat on their hands during this strike. The chair of the council Environmental Services committee just kept repeating the Veolia company line, showing whose side the council are on – not ours!
The Socialist Party argues that bin services should be taken back in-house.
