Hundreds of union members join huge picket line in support of Birmingham bin workers
As the Birmingham bin strikes are about to enter their ninth week, people from unions across the country have joined striking workers at a 'megapicket' outside a recycling centre in the city.
Around 200 people gathered in Ebury Road, in Kings Norton, to hear speeches from supporting union leaders.
The NEU, the teachers' union, Daniel Kebede, describe the all-out strike by members of Unite, which began almost two months ago, as a fight against 'a race to the bottom' on working people's wages.
Unions from the train drivers' union ASLEF, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the NEU were among the 20 groups that either attended or endorsed the picket.
Members of Unite in Birmingham walked out on March 11 in protest of the council's decision to cut a post from the city's refuse and recycling service.
The union says this will lead to hundreds of its members having their pay cut by up to £ 8,000 a year.
The council disputes the figures, saying only 17 workers will be affected, losing far less than Unite is claiming.
Birmingham City Council declared a major incident relating to the strike by Unite members on March 31 after estimating that around 17,000 tonnes of waste was uncollected.
William Jordan is a striking lorry driver for Birmingham's refuse service.
He said, "To be fair, I want to go back to work. It's making an impact on all our lives. But, if needs must I'll stay out.
"If it takes a year, I'll be out here to the very end.
"A pay cut could mean, in the long run, with the cost of living going up, with the cost of living crisis, and Birmingham City Council again increasing the council tax this year.
"An impact of losing money is like possibly not being able to pay bills."
"Firefighters across the UK have got their backs."
Steve Wright, general secretary of the FBU, commented on why his union is backing the striking workers.
"I've taken strike action, I've been a firefighter who's withdrawn my labour on a couple of occasions, and the support from other workers is massive.
"Look, no one wants to take strike action. They're defending their livelihoods.
"They're having their wages cut by nearly a third, and the way they're being treated is disgraceful.
"So we want to make sure they know that firefighters from across the UK, from our Union, have got their backs."
When ITV News Central Reporter Lois Swinnerton asked Unite's national organiser Onay Kasab if, now that the streets of Birmingham were looking cleaner, the striking workers have lost some of their leverage in negotiations, he said: "I don't think we should forget that the clean-up operation is costing a huge amount to the council.
"So it's not something that can be sustained. I don't think it weakens our position in any way.
"But I think the most important thing is that I don't think the council should be spending extra money on having to clean up the streets.
"Let's get to a negotiated agreement."
"The support for the Birmingham Bin Strike is rock solid."
Henry Fowler, co-founder of Strike Map, who organised the picket, said: 'This mobilisation is historic.
The support for the Birmingham Bin Strike is rock solid on and off the picket line, victory to the workers!'.
Pete Randle, Unite organiser, said: 'Today's message is collective organisation across trade union movement shows the power unions have.'
In response to today's picket, Birmingham City Council said: "Everyone has a right to protest, which we respect, but people also have a right to work unhindered.
"We would ask that all involved remember their responsibilities and show respect for colleagues who choose to work, as well as nearby residents."
Birmingham City Council also issued advice to residents affected by the disruption caused by the 'megapicket'.'Due to a protest outside Lifford Lane there have been disruptions to today's collections,' a council spokesperson said.
'Please leave your bin out and we will aim to collect it on Saturday or as soon as possible.'They added: 'We were aware of the planned protest, the safety of everyone involved was always our priority.'We therefore revised operational deployment plans to reflect this overarching principle.'
The council has insisted in the past that a 'fair and reasonable offer' has been made, with council leader John Cotton adding it 'cannot and will not entertain anything that would re-open an equal pay liability'.
However, recent news that waste truck drivers in Birmingham could see their jobs downgraded and their pay cut by thousands of pounds a year has resulted in further tension.On the drivers, a spokesperson for the council said recently: 'This fair and transparent job evaluation process, jointly agreed with trade unions, is necessary to ensure the council complies with equal pay laws.'They continued the decision to grade drivers as 'grade 3' was 'indicative' only and subject to further collective consultation.'It is part of an ongoing process of quality assurance and moderation, and this an indicative grade which is subject to further collective consultation,' they said.'We remain committed to delivering a fair and sustainable deal for drivers and collectors and we will continue those discussions with Unite.'
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