Keir Starmer urged to intervene in Birmingham bin strike
Members of Unite have been on all-out strike since March, leading to bags of rubbish piling up across the city's streets.
FBU general secretary Steve Wright said the Labour Government must use its power and influence to insist that Birmingham Council halts planned pay cuts, which Unite says would lead to workers losing £8,000-a-year.
The firefighters' leader said unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU would not tolerate a 'betrayal' of the bin workers similar to that of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet kitchen strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers, during a series of high-profile disputes in the late 1990s that he says Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in.
Steve Wright said: 'The treatment of the bin workers has been outrageous.
'It's a disgrace that a Labour-led council forced these dedicated public servants to go on strike by attempting to cut their pay by thousands of pounds.
'The Prime Minister and his deputy cannot stand by any longer and allow this attack on the jobs and wages of these workers who have lost their family incomes and faced dire poverty for many months.
'Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner could easily resolve this dispute by insisting that Birmingham Council halts the planned pay cuts and compensates the bin workers for all lost earnings.
'The leadership of the Labour Government has the power to do this, and there must be no excuses.
'Nearly 30 years ago, Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in favour of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers.
'Unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU that help fund the party's election campaigns will not tolerate a repeat of this betrayal of striking workers.'
Unite has suspended Ms Rayner's membership of the union and is re-examining its relationship with Labour as a result of the dispute.
The council insists its move is aimed at improving the waste and recycling service, adding that affected workers have been offered other jobs.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'The Government has been working intensively with the council to tackle the backlog and clean up the streets in the interests of Birmingham residents and public health.
'The Government remains committed to supporting Birmingham's long-term transformation, for the benefit of local residents, and to a sustainable resolution of the equal pay issues which have been left unresolved for far too long.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Channel 4
6 minutes ago
- Channel 4
Starvation in Gaza as MPs call for UK to recognise Palestinian state
Amid warnings of 'catastrophic' levels of starvation in Gaza – the UK, France and Germany have issued a joint statement calling for an end to the war and urging Israel to 'immediately lift the restrictions on the flow of aid'. But Sir Keir Starmer said that recognising Palestinian statehood should be part of a wider 'pathway' to peace.
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
221 MPs call for Britain to recognise Palestinian state amid starvation in Gaza
Some 221 MPs from across different political parties have joined forces to call on the Government to recognise a Palestinian state. The MPs urge the Government to take the step ahead of a United Nations conference in New York next week. This follows France's announcement on Thursday evening it will formally recognise Palestine at a UN summit in September. The MPs' letter, co-ordinated by Sarah Champion – Labour chairwoman of the International Development Select Committee, said: 'We are expectant that the outcome of the conference will be the UK Government outlining when and how it will act on its long-standing commitment on a two-state solution; as well as how it will work with international partners to make this a reality.' Parliamentarians from Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents are among those who signed the letter. Senior signatories include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury, the Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh, Parliament's longest-serving MP. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. Rotherham MP Ms Champion acknowledged 'recognition alone will not end the suffering in Gaza or the rapid expansion of settlements and settler violence in the West Bank'. But she said it would be an important step on the path towards a two-state solution to end the war. The Labour MP added: 'Recognition would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people, that they are not alone and they need to maintain hope that there is a route that leads to lasting peace and security for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people.' Ministers have faced growing calls to recognise a Palestinian state immediately amid mounting global anger over the starving population in Gaza. Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday evening that such a move needed to be part of the 'pathway' to peace in the Middle East, which he and allies are working towards. 'That pathway will set out the concrete steps needed to turn the ceasefire so desperately needed, into a lasting peace,' the Prime Minister said. He added: 'Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis. The PM also said: 'The appalling scenes in Gaza are unrelenting. 'The continued captivity of hostages, the starvation and denial of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, the increasing violence from extremist settler groups, and Israel's disproportionate military escalation in Gaza are all indefensible. In a statement released on Friday alongside the leaders of France and Germany, the Prime Minister urged 'all parties to bring an end to the conflict by reaching an immediate ceasefire'. Sir Keir, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also called for Israel to stop restricting the flow of aid into Gaza. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security. As he left for Scotland on Friday, US President Donald Trump suggested that Mr Macron's announcement that France would recognise Palestinian statehood was unimportant. 'What he says doesn't matter', Mr Trump told reporters at the White House. Sir Keir will meet the US president during his five-day private trip to Scotland, due to kick off on Friday. US-led peace talks in Qatar were cut short on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Hamas-led militants based in Gaza abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed about 1,200 people. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive. Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
Telegraph
6 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Sir Keir must make the most of Trump's visit
Donald Trump arrives in Britain this weekend on what is ostensibly a five-day private trip to his two Scottish golfing establishments. The President will be met by ritual protests, but in fact this visit is a golden opportunity for the United Kingdom. The Irish knew how to make a fuss of Joe Biden. Whatever the British may privately think of Donald Trump, we need his goodwill. The Prime Minister should make the most of the President's Scottish heritage and his fondness for all things Caledonian. Mr Trump's links to Scotland are rather closer than those of Mr Biden to Ireland. On Monday Sir Keir Starmer will be meeting Mr Trump for talks and lunch at one of his golf clubs, Turnberry, and later accompanying him to the other presidential course at Menie. Sir Keir will be hoping to steer the conversation on to trade: he needs to persuade the President to strike a deal on steel and to exempt UK pharmaceuticals from a threatened 200 per cent tariff. The PM may also seek to discover first-hand whether Mr Trump really has turned against Vladimir Putin's Russia and will now stay the course with Ukraine. These are legitimate matters for a British PM to raise with an American president. Mr Trump, however, is no ordinary Potus: he is quite likely to offer his opinion about issues here that have caught his attention, such as migration or free speech. He may also give Sir Keir a piece of his mind about Emmanuel Macron's gesture politics on Palestine, or indeed anything under the sun. If something like this happens, the Prime Minister will just have to grin and bear it. Sir Keir must play a long game.
