Above photo: Unite the union / X.
Trade unions and grassroots groups rallied in Birmingham.
For a mass picket in support of striking bin workers.
In a mass demonstration of solidarity, trade union activists from across Britain blocked the entrance of a Birmingham waste depot as part of an ongoing dispute between the city’s refuse collectors and the Labour-led council. Birmingham’s bin workers, many of whom are members of the trade union Unite, have been taking intermittent action against planned pay cuts since the beginning of this year – and have spent the past two months on strike.
As part of an extreme austerity agenda, the city council is planning to downgrade at least one section of the workforce. This proposal has raised concerns not only about workers’ income but also about health and safety conditions. According to statements from Unite, some workers could face cuts of around £8,000 to their annual salaries, approximately a quarter of their current income. Workers and trade unionists have expressed disbelief over the council’s plans, questioning how anyone could cope with such an attack on their livelihood.
“Realistically, some members are set to lose their homes, and that means children losing family homes, children possibly being relocated to different schools,” one trade unionist explained recently. “It’s going to be a big strain on relationships and a big strain on families.”
Under the same austerity program, Birmingham’s political leaders have shut down community centers and drastically reduced access to other public services, including libraries. In response, residents have launched initiatives to counter the cuts and have supported the bin workers from the start of the strike by raising funds and joining them on the picket lines. On several occasions, Birmingham’s citizens have criticized the council for targeting some of the lowest-paid workers while retaining commissioners appointed by the previous Conservative administration, who are behind many of the current public service cuts.
“This cut from a Labour council, backed by a Labour government, is a disgrace and the residents of Birmingham know this, and that is why they are backing the bin strikers,” said former councilor Salma Yaqoob. The position of Keir Starmer’s government has been a point of contention in the dispute. Since the beginning of the strike, the government has largely sided with the council, prioritizing the restoration of services even if it comes at the expense of workers’ livelihoods.
While Birmingham’s workers and residents remain determined to reach a meaningful resolution, trade unions from across Britain are closely observing the situation, worried that if the council succeeds, similar attacks on workers’ rights could follow elsewhere. As labor leaders who joined Friday’s rally in Birmingham emphasized, workers in Britain have already borne the brunt of austerity and the cost of living crisis. Further wage and social security cuts could push conditions to a breaking point and may drive more people into the arms of the far right.
“Workers, like firefighters, like Birmingham bin collectors, are not cannon fodder,” Adam Taylor of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) stated at the rally. “Workers deserve to go to work and go in knowledge that they will do so safely and return home afterwards.”
Alongside Unite and the FBU, the picket also saw participation from Unison, the National Education Union, the train drivers’ union ASLEF, and a host of local groups fighting to protect and strengthen public services.