STRIKING Birmingham bin workers led a 20,000-strong march of workers, students and youth on Downing Street on Saturday.
The ‘Welfare not Warfare’ demonstration assembled outside the BBC headquarters in Portland Place with massive NEU, PCS and CWU union balloons, as well as banners and placards from other trade unions.
There was a loud and lively delegation behind the Workers Revolutionary Party and Young Socialists banner, which kept up constant chants of ‘Defend the NHS – Kick Starmer Out! No to British Arms – Kick Starmer Out! Free Palestine – General Strike Now!’
The Birmingham bin strikers took pride of place at the front of the march, with their banner condemning deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner for blocking a deal to settle their dispute.
Last Friday, Unite reported that the striking binmen had again voted by 97% to continue their six months strike against the Labour council’s attempt to impose £8,000 pound pay cuts on them.
As the march was assembling, workers spoke to News Line.
Striking Birmingham binman Tom Brady said: ‘We rejected the offer again by 97%. Only six said they are prepared to go back. Six idiots who must be with the gaffer.
‘I was a grade 3 loader. I’ve been downgraded to a grade 2 loader, losing eight grand a year. The council has paid for me to do my HGV test and I’ve passed my HGV test. The council said I would get a grade 4 job and now they have deleted the grade 4 position.
‘The council and the Labour government are working together. They’re working behind a smokescreen to make it a privatised company. That’s why they’re not bothered about how long this goes on.’
Birmingham striker Mike Masters said: ‘There are 370 of us on strike, and there are seven of us down here today. The strike started out as a fight against the council, but it has turned political because of the six commissioners. They were put in place by the Conservative government and they are dictating everything in Birmingham.
‘When Labour came in they should have got rid of them. But they didn’t and deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and the commissioners are holding the citizens of Birmingham to ransom with their job cuts and hike in council tax payments.’
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