‘This is not about money’

Birmingham bin workers today (February 19) took their first day of strike action in a dispute over Birmingham City Council making payments to some workers and not others, a move Unite has said is tantamount to blacklisting.

After last year’s long running dispute, it came to light that the council paid significant bonuses to GMB members who did not take industrial action – in effect rewarding these workers for not striking. Since then, Unite members have also been consistently denied holiday requests – again, a move that Unite has said is another form of blacklisting.

Steve* who is striking today and has asked to remain anonymous explained why he and his colleagues were downing tools.

“We aren’t asking to be paid like footballers,” he said. “This is not about money.”

Indeed, as a waste, reduction and collections (WRC) officer, Steve earns only £19,000 a year – well below the national average.

Steve, who has worked as a Birmingham refuse worker for more than six years, says that today’s dispute for him is ultimately “about everyone having the right to be treated equally at work”.

After all, being treated fairly is the least that Steve’s employers can do, given the back-breaking, often thankless but absolutely vital work they do.

A day in the life

On a working day, Steve is up by 3am and out on his rounds just after 5am.

His basic responsibilities include retrieving bins, putting them in wagons and then returning them to properties – but as with many jobs his work in practice requires so much more.

“All the time I am responsible for the safety of the loader, as well as my safety and that of the general public,” he explains.

Steve and his team must also do assisted collections, where they help people who struggle to put their bins out, such as the elderly and those who are disabled.

He adds that when a regular bin loader is not available, he must be extra careful with loaders who have been recruited from agencies “because they can often be very inexperienced”.

The safety critical role that Steve takes on as a WRC officer is vital, but Unite has highlighted that the council has now been sending out crews without WRCs. This has angered members because it is unsafe and breaks a 2017 agreement that ended the last dispute – the issue is now being taken up by the High Court as Unite seeks an injunction.

On a seven-hour round, Steve and his team are expected to collect rubbish from more than 1,000 properties – an often unachievable target as their hours have been reduced but their quotas have not.

Hitting the numbers isn’t their biggest challenge either – they also much contend with extreme weather, outdated equipment in their wagons constantly breaking down, and members of the public who sometimes lash out.

“We work in weather that you wouldn’t put a milk bottle out in,” Steve explained. “And it’s not just cold and wet weather – last summer’s extreme heat was a massive factor for workers, too.”

Steve recalls having to deal with extreme behaviour from the public, such as when one resident came at him with a hammer, or when cars have gunned for him and once even a motorbike ran over his foot.

“At times we have to get in the wagon and drive away quickly.”

Still, despite the trials and tribulations of the job, Steve loves the work – but at the moment, he feels the council has “taken the pride out of my job”.

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett (pictured above) today paid tribute to the striking bin workers, who he said “have demonstrated their solidarity and their determination to overturn the injustice of the council making secret payments to workers who did not take part in the 2017 strike action.

“The rock solid support from Unite’s members should send a clear message to Birmingham council’s leadership that our members will not be swayed by threats and are determined to win justice.”

Find out more about why Steve and other bin workers are starting a series of two-day strikes each week on Unite’s campaign page and in the video below:

You can show your support for Birmingham bin workers in a number of ways:

• Use the Twitter hashtag #BirminghamBinStrike. 

• Email your local Birmingham councillor: If you live in Birmingham then contact your local councillor and ask them to get the dispute sorted by paying all bin workers equally – use your postcode to find your councillor.

• Email the council leader: Wherever you are in the country email the council leader Ian Ward direct and ask him to end the inequality and treat all workers fairly:

*Name changed to protect privacy.