Pictures from the picket line showed the dramatic start to Birmingham’s bin strikes this morning, Monday, January 6. BirminghamLive met striking bin workers at the Lifford Lane depot in Kings Norton at 7am.
Cheers could be heard as workers gathered in bitterly cold conditions to chant ‘Unite, unite, we stand and we fight’. As rush-hour picked up, cars hit their horns as a large crowd gathered on the main road.
More than 300 Unite members who work as refuse collectors in Birmingham went on strike from today in the first of 12 days of industrial action. Around 350 Unite members voted for the industrial action in December over what the union described as an attack on pay and working conditions by Birmingham City Council.
On why bin men were striking, Zoe Mayou, Unite regional officer, said: “It’s about the removal of a role we believe is safety critical, a review of making sure a role that replaces it is correctly done.”
Ms Mayou was referring to the waste recycling and collection officer (WRCO) role, which the union said was vital for the safety of workers and the public. The union claimed the decision to cut the WRCO position affected 150 workers who face losing £8,000 a year.
In its most recent statement, the council insisted it took safety “extremely seriously.” Council chiefs said they were “continuing to work through the dispute resolution procedure.” You can read more from Birmingham City Council, here.
Look through our photo story below to see how the first day of industrial action kicked off.