Solidarity at the Birmingham ‘mega picket’ has raised bin workers’ confidence. But the wider trade union movement needs to ramp up their support. (Picture: Guy Smallman)
Birmingham bin workers are keeping up their strikes in the face of legal threats from the council.
The Labour-run council was granted an interim injunction last week to stop picketing outside three refuse depots.
Bosses were applying for an injunction with judges set to rule on Thursday.
The injunction is a response to the success of mass picketing by the Unite union members, who’ve been on indefinite strike over pay for 11 weeks.
It’s another dirty tactic from a council that sent police to break up picket lines in April.
A hundreds-strong “mega picket” of strikers and other trade unionists earlier this month forced bosses to shut one of the depots.
And it boosted strikers’ confidence to mount mass pickets capable of stopping scab vehicles themselves.
This power was on show on Wednesday of last week. At the Atlas Depot, two scab lorries tried to leave just before 6am.
Striker Roger told Socialist Worker, “One tried to get out—we blocked them.”
After an argument, the lorry backed up. Two more vans lined up idly behind the picket line.
“That kind of confrontation doesn’t happen often,” striker Walt told Socialist Worker.
“He came racing down there like a bull in a china shop, which obviously gets our backs up. We’re trying to get him in the union, to stand with us and fight the battle.”
The mass picket marked a shift from the strategy of the Unite union leaders who had promised a “legal challenge” to the council using police.
Walt added, “The problem is that Unite isn’t saying anything, they aren’t telling us anything.”
“We really aren’t getting told much,” striker Shaun told Socialist Worker.
“Since the last offer, Unite hasn’t been talking to us.”
Workers rejected a pay offer in April by 98 percent.
It was an overwhelming rejection, but Unite has been unclear about negotiations since. Shaun said, “Unite has been quiet, and they haven’t said much, especially since we started blocking the lorries again.
“It would be helpful to know what’s happening, it’s important.”
Labour council bosses want to push through pay cuts of up to £8,000 a year. “This is completely wrong,” Walt added.
“We’re giving them our lives, working in all kinds of nasty conditions. And in return they turn round to try and nick our grading.
“We’ve got to pay our bills. Some lads have been here nearly 30 years. I’ve been here 17—it’s a joke.” Unite general secretary Sharon Graham has slammed Labour for failing to solve the dispute.
But the party of austerity mark 2 is determined to teach the strikers a lesson. Only escalation, with more mass pickets to block the scabbing, will force it to back down.
Bin workers have wider support—a recent poll showed 65 percent on Birmingham residents would strike if in the same position as the bin workers.
The bin workers have shown their mood to fight. But Unite leaders the wider trade union movement needs to ramp up the support.
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