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Stop press: Birmingham home care strikers close to victory!
Birmingham bin workers and home carers strike together, photo Birmingham Socialist Party, photo Birmingham Socialist Party (Click to enlarge)
Birmingham Socialist Party
Just as we go to press, Birmingham Socialist Party members have learnt that the city's home care workers could be on the verge of claiming victory in their 20-month-long dispute against Birmingham Council.
The dispute was over cuts and changes to working hours, with the Labour council effectively trying to make all posts part-time and financially unworkable, to cut costs by pushing workers into leaving the service.
Home care workers organised by public service union Unison have taken over 80 days of strike action during their dispute. This includes a joint strike day with Birmingham bin workers in general union Unite in February of this year.
Tears of joy
If confirmed, a victory for the home carers would be another humiliating defeat for Birmingham's Blairite council, and the third time in two years it will have lost to its workers.
As the information stands so far, a members' meeting was held on Friday 10 May, where the home care strikers were informed by Unison that the council has dropped all proposals, and their jobs will currently stay as they are.
There were tears of joy - but also the understanding that the council cannot be trusted to protect any job, as it continues to carry out the Tories' dirty work of cuts and sell-offs of our public services.
There has been no official statement from Unison yet. When more information is available, we will produce a more in-depth report.
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
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