Clive Walder, Birmingham Socialist Party
Birmingham City Council’s shambolic and brutal handling of the bin workers’ dispute is beginning to rebound on it. In a dramatic change of events, it is reported that 15 agency staff are refusing to cross picket lines.
While the Labour council is trying to fool the public into believing that the agency workforce is keeping on top of refuse collection, the workers themselves are complaining about a toxic workplace culture. They complain that managers are bullying them, and threatening disciplinary action or dismissal if they fail to complete unsustainable workloads or take on extra work. The council has suspended recycling and garden waste collections, so residents are putting everything in one bin, making them heavy and overflowing, which slows down the pace of work.
Despite the council throwing everything at breaking the resolve of Unite members, at a cost currently of £14 million, the strike has remained solid.
The lead government commissioner visited one of the depots on 8 October and the agency called all workers to a meeting the following day. These are clear signs that the council is getting worried.
Over the weekend, four Labour councillors left the party after being blocked from standing for re-election in Birmingham next year, as part of a continued purge of anyone who might be critical of the local or national leadership and, in the case of one, linked to an HMO housing scandal.
There is a rumour that they could become the first Your Party councillors in the city. If any councillors make the break from forcing horrendous cuts on the bin workers, and on jobs and services across the council, that would be welcomed. Making good on their claim to want to champion “social justice” and “fairness” would start with fighting to stop the cuts and building support for the striking bin workers.
Unite the Union also called a protest outside the offices of the main employment agency supplying scab labour. In a sign of desperation, a manager from the agency was filmed threatening the remaining agency workers that they would be blacklisted by the council from getting a permanent position if they joined the strike too. Unite’s belief that the council is terrified at the prospect of their scabbing strategy unravelling has added to the iron determination of the bin workers to see the battle through to the end.
Unite’s efforts to recruit agency workers to join the strike should continue, with striking workers in the lead. If more refuse to cross the picket line, it would put even more pressure on the council.
