Bin workers in Birmingham have been striking for over two months to stop cuts to their pay by the Labour Council and Government-appointed Commissioners. Unite members are facing huge cuts to their wages as the Council downgrades roles – making workers pay for a crisis they have done nothing to cause.
Local government has faced 14 years of cuts from the Conservatives, causing Councils to cut vital services from bin collections to social care and special educational needs. Under a Labour Government, this crisis continues. Almost half of councils in England are at risk of bankruptcy next year, many with crippling debts that the Government has failed to act on. The choice by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves to continue Tory austerity – and their refusal to tax wealth – means workers on below average pay are being asked suffer the consequences.
The Government must fund local government properly. It must ensure that Council workers can be paid fairly, and end the bin strikes in Birmingham.
Carla Denyer & Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Co-leaders
Zack Polanski, Green Party Deputy Leader
Matthew Hull, Green Party Trade Union Liaison Officer
Jane Baston, Birmingham Green Party campaigner
Green Party Trade Union group