There were cries of ‘victory to the bin workers’ as a crowd of protesters and a former Labour Party leader gathered for the second ‘mega picket’ on a warm summer’s morning.
The demonstration was in full swing at the Atlas Depot in Tyseley at around 6.30am on Friday, with a colourful array of union banners tied to the metal fences.
One union member said that workers from across the country had already arrived in a show of solidarity with Birmingham’s striking bin workers.
With lorries sitting in the depot and the gates closed, speakers began to address the crowd of protesters from all walks of life as passing vehicles honked their horns in support.
Much like the first ‘megapicket’ back in May, the recurring message was that the bins strike had become a symbol of other union struggles and was now an important cause for many outside of the city too.
It was also clear that the anger and frustration towards both the Labour-run city council and central government was not fading away as the dispute drags on into summer.
The event’s most notable speaker was forer Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. He said: “It wasn’t the Birmingham bin workers who got the finances of Birmingham City Council into a mess.
“It wasn’t the bin workers who created any of the problems that Birmingham faces. They are the people that keep the city clean and support the people of this city.
“If we win in Birmingham, that’s a huge victory [for workers]. But if we lose, think which city is going to be next.”
Later during the demonstration, Brum Rise Up campaigner Kate Taylor said that the movement in support of bin workers “needs to continue to grow” so others can be supported elsewhere.
She went on to argue that the Labour government should be doing more to support councils, saying: “Local authorities are in significant financial distress across the country and that is because of significant underfunding.
“We have got to stand together and that’s why people have come together from all across the country.”
The bins strike first started back in January and was triggered by a dispute between the council and Unite the union over the loss of the Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) role.
In response to striking workers’ concerns about pay, the leadership at the Labour-run council has repeatedly insisted a “fair and reasonable” offer had been made.
The second ‘megapicket’ was held this week after the council said it was ending negotiations with Unite to resolve the dispute.
The authority said it would notify staff and unions of its intention to enter consultation with affected workers – while keeping the door open to those wanting to accept offers to retrain or be redeployed.
Council leader John Cotton said at the time: “We have negotiated in good faith but unfortunately Unite has rejected all offers so we must now press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service.
“Unite’s demands would leave us with another equal pay bill of hundreds of millions of pounds, which is totally unacceptable, and would jeopardise the considerable progress we have made in our financial recovery.”
On equal pay, spokesperson for the local authority said it recognised it has, over many years, failed to address all of its equal pay risks.
“We have committed to ending that,” they continued. “Progress towards settling equal pay claims following the agreement reached in November 2024 is in line with plans agreed in partnership with GMB.”
Local government minister Jim McMahon has argued that Unite “rejected the council’s fair and reasonable offer….[despite] the council’s hard work to offer options to affected workers.”
He has also insisted that the Labour government is working to ‘fix the foundations’ of local government.
“Birmingham City Council are independent employers and this dispute is between the council and Unite,” he told the House of Commons this week. “The government is rightly not a party to it but we do have an interest in it, recognising the impact on local residents.
“We will continue to support the council to keep Birmingham’s streets clear.”
Birmingham City Council also confirmed this week it had applied for contempt of court proceedings against Unite due to “persistent evidence of a breach of the court order which the union have agreed to and are required to comply with”.
It said the injunction prevented the blocking of its refuse collection vehicles, both at its depots and on streets.
“We are taking this step to ensure the safety of our city and the safety of our workforce, including those who are on strike,” the council said.
A spokesperson for Unite said: “The court application is the latest distraction from the real task of resolving the ongoing dispute.”
Unite also said that since the council’s court application, it had worked with its members and reps to “ensure that there has been compliance with the court order”.