Helen Pattison, London Socialist Party
Last week, striking Coventry bin workers brought their fight for decent pay to the doors of the Local Government Association, in central London.
They were joined by striking Hackney bin workers. They are also fighting a Labour council. The protest heard speeches about the growing strike of Rugby bin workers, who are fighting a Tory administration, also over pay.
Pete Randle, Coventry Unite bin rep and Socialist Party member, raised the need for a new party for the working class. In fact, all the speakers agreed these strikes are about class. It’s the working class that is being made to pay for the Covid crisis. Whether Tory or Labour councils, they are pushing the cost on to us!
The chants rang out, to Labour: “Shame on you for turning blue”. When the employer is the Labour council, forcing workers to live off poverty wages, it makes it very clear why our movement needs a political voice as well as an industrial one.
