{"id":17390,"date":"2019-02-19T15:01:34","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T15:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=17390"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:57:14","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:57:14","slug":"unite-birmingham-bin-worker-why-striking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=17390","title":{"rendered":"‘This is not about money’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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.<\/p>\n

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After last year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s long running dispute, it came to light that the council paid significant bonuses to GMB members who did not take industrial action \u00e2\u20ac\u201c in effect rewarding these workers for not striking. Since then, Unite members have also been consistently denied holiday requests \u00e2\u20ac\u201c again, a move that Unite has said is another form of blacklisting.<\/p>\n

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Steve* who is striking today and has asked to remain anonymous explained why he and his colleagues were downing tools.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t asking to be paid like footballers,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is not about money.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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\"brum<\/p>\n

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Indeed, as a waste, reduction and collections (WRC) officer, Steve earns only \u00c2\u014119,000 a year \u00e2\u20ac\u201c well below the national average.<\/p>\n

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Steve, who has worked as a Birmingham refuse worker for more than six years, says that today\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dispute for him is ultimately \u00e2\u20ac\u015babout everyone having the right to be treated equally at work\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

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After all, being treated fairly is the least that Steve\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s employers can do, given the back-breaking, often thankless but absolutely vital work they do.<\/p>\n

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A day in the life<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

On a working day, Steve is up by 3am and out on his rounds just after 5am.<\/p>\n

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His basic responsibilities include retrieving bins, putting them in wagons and then returning them to properties \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but as with many jobs his work in practice requires so much more.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAll the time I am responsible for the safety of the loader, as well as my safety and that of the general public,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explains.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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He adds that when a regular bin loader is not available, he must be extra careful with loaders who have been recruited from agencies \u00e2\u20ac\u015bbecause they can often be very inexperienced\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

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\"birmingham<\/p>\n

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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 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the issue is now being taken up by the High Court as Unite seeks an injunction.<\/p>\n

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On a seven-hour round, Steve and his team are expected to collect rubbish from more than 1,000 properties \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an often unachievable target\u00c2\u00a0as their hours have been reduced but their quotas have not.<\/p>\n

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Hitting the numbers isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t their biggest challenge either \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they also much contend with extreme weather, outdated equipment in their wagons constantly breaking down, and members of the public who sometimes lash out.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe work in weather that you wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put a milk bottle out in,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Steve explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just cold and wet weather \u00e2\u20ac\u201c last summer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s extreme heat was a massive factor for workers, too.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAt times we have to get in the wagon and drive away quickly.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Still, despite the trials and tribulations of the job, Steve loves the work \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but at the moment, he feels the council has \u00e2\u20ac\u015btaken the pride out of my job\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

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\"brum<\/p>\n

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Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett (pictured above) today paid tribute to the striking bin workers, who he said \u00e2\u20ac\u015bhave 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.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe rock solid support from Unite\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s members should send a clear message to Birmingham council\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leadership that our members will not be swayed by threats and are determined to win justice.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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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<\/a> and in the video below:<\/p>\n

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