“What Birmingham City Council seems not to understand is frontline staff are a band of brothers & sisters who fight for all our terms & conditions, whether we are directly affected or otherwise.”
Strike Map report on their campaigning work in solidarity with bin workers taking action in Birmingham.
We arrived at the picket at 7am. As we got out of the taxi, juggling our giant charity cheque to present to the strikers, we were excited about meeting the strikers leading the fightback against the austerity of a Labour council, enforced by the Labour Government and their band of commissioners.
The workers huddled all around as one described to the other that we were from Strike Map and, working with Football Lads and Lasses Against Fascism, we had sold 2,000 pin badges, raising £2,000 in just a week.
We received lots of thanks, handshakes, and smiles from the strikers as we walked up and down the picket talking to different bin workers out on strike. We listened to Paul, a grade 4 driver: “I’m here to support my grade three colleagues and the attacks on their terms and conditions.”
Behind us as we filmed, workers walked inch by inch, slowing any trucks leaving the depot.
We stopped and took a photo together.
As more Police showed up, we were made aware that the Police were now enforcing the section 14 notice. This means that the picketers were no longer able to slow or stop any trucks leaving the depot or fear arrest, things were getting more tense.
Walking down the long picket, we spoke to so many different strikers, many of whom were clear they weren’t going anywhere and many had long memories stretching back to the last dispute in 2017.
Further down the picket line we spoke with Neil, another driver, who told us the value of financial solidarity, but also of visiting and supporting the picket lines. “It hasn’t been easy and it’s going to get a lot tougher, but with the support of you all out there, it is appreciated.” As Neil rattled off all the thank yous to those that had brought the badges Strike Map and Football Lads and Lasses Against Fascism had sold, the link between this dispute and other fights across our movement was clear: “It is not just us. It’s a lot of other people. And on behalf of everybody else who’s going through the same struggle, thank you.”
As we stopped to watch and listen to more strikers and a truck, driven by strike breaking labour, suddenly came to a halt. Peacefully picketers were speaking through the window to the driver, before loud cheers were heard down the picket line. The door of the bin truck swung open and the driver got out and joined the strike. This type of effective picketing and being able to stop and speak to those agency staff is vital to the success of this dispute and in just a few hours we saw this moment of clear class struggle, when the workers knew exactly what side they were on. The new striker was patted on the back by the other picketers, showing how the strike is growing support the longer it goes on.
Adrian, came in front of our tripod holding a large red Unite the Union flag, he told us the personal financial impact of the cuts being made on his and so many of his comrades conditions: “I was a grade three, now downgraded to grade 2, that is £6,000 a year, £500 a month. So that pretty much puts me and my family on the street.”
There is not just anger and disappointment in a Labour Council imposing austerity with Labour Government backing, including drafting the military to break the strike, but a realisation of the hypocrisy of the council. Adrian finishes his video with: “It is a disgrace what they are doing, considering they got a pay rise of 5.7%.”
What is unfolding in this dispute is a clear ‘war of information’ with the council, right wing press and Government working in tripartite agreement to undermine the strikers. Derek, a driver team leader for 33 years explained how the council has been withholding information from the public. “Originally I came out in support of my colleagues who are going to be potentially losing substantial sums of money, but also under the pretext that we were going to be targeted next as drivers. It appears that may well be the case going forward.”
This dispute was no longer about cuts to a specific job role as part of Birmingham City Council’s bin and refuge work, but a political attack on workers across the city, a continuation of declining living standards and austerity.
There is no doubt this strike has national importance, and as a result the labour movement needs to come together to support these workers and reject austerity and strike breaking from Councils and Government.
Below are some actions we have developed in discussion with workers on strike and we urge everyone to join us at the Megapicket on Friday 9 May at Lifford Lane Depot, Ebury Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham, B30 3JJ GB from 7am.
Take action to support the Brum Bin Strikers:
- Write to the agencies providing scab labour here.
- Write to all Birmingham City Councillors here.
- RSVP to join the Megapicket on 9 May here.
- You can follow Strike Map on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X and YouTube.
- This article was originally published by Strike Map on 24 April 2025.
