Birminghams Labour Leadership know the strike should have been settled. They know the legal exposure is real. They know the funding excuse has collapsed.
Excellent explanation Mike, this is not about transformation of a failing service more a cull of long serving, loyal, dedicated staff who have been let down by chronic mismanagement of a once excellent service , the whiff of privatisation hangs in the air with the individuals tasked with improving the service ex Veolia employees with an ideology of getting the job done for the least money and increasing shareholder dividends. Was with heavy heart I left the service in October after driving a bin wagon for 33 years and receiving commendations on numerous local community sites, despite the rhetoric of fair and reasonable offers being made and alternative roles being available the reality is i was left with a stark choice between an 8k a year pay cut or redundancy. Like you I've had Labour values entrenched in me from an early stage and am a proud trade unionist and one of the most disappointing aspects of this dispute has been the fact that not one single Labour councillor has attended a picket line to listen to genuine grievances from employees fighting for their financial futures, the icing on the cake came last week when it was revealed agency staff some only employed a couple of weeks would be receiving a £600.bonus for working over Xmas, how can a Labour council justify that when permanent staff have not received any extra money for working over Xmas for many years ? Hopefully this dispute will be resolved sooner rather than later but only by negotiation which Birmingham City Council.are currently refusing to engage in, the resolve on the picket remains strong and the support from individuals and fellow trade unions has been outstanding.
I’m disappointed to see a Labour council (my old council I served on) lend their name to something that lands hardest on crucial, dedicated workers who keep the system going day in, day out.
I understand the intent, but the imbalance is hard to ignore when bonuses at the top are defended while costs are always found to bear down on the workforce below. That inequity matters, especially to those of us who still believe Labour should know better.
Thank you for engaging, and I wish you a Merry Christmas. Take a look at www.midlamdsGRIT on Boxing Day Derek.
Excellent explanation Mike, this is not about transformation of a failing service more a cull of long serving, loyal, dedicated staff who have been let down by chronic mismanagement of a once excellent service , the whiff of privatisation hangs in the air with the individuals tasked with improving the service ex Veolia employees with an ideology of getting the job done for the least money and increasing shareholder dividends. Was with heavy heart I left the service in October after driving a bin wagon for 33 years and receiving commendations on numerous local community sites, despite the rhetoric of fair and reasonable offers being made and alternative roles being available the reality is i was left with a stark choice between an 8k a year pay cut or redundancy. Like you I've had Labour values entrenched in me from an early stage and am a proud trade unionist and one of the most disappointing aspects of this dispute has been the fact that not one single Labour councillor has attended a picket line to listen to genuine grievances from employees fighting for their financial futures, the icing on the cake came last week when it was revealed agency staff some only employed a couple of weeks would be receiving a £600.bonus for working over Xmas, how can a Labour council justify that when permanent staff have not received any extra money for working over Xmas for many years ? Hopefully this dispute will be resolved sooner rather than later but only by negotiation which Birmingham City Council.are currently refusing to engage in, the resolve on the picket remains strong and the support from individuals and fellow trade unions has been outstanding.
Derek,
I’m disappointed to see a Labour council (my old council I served on) lend their name to something that lands hardest on crucial, dedicated workers who keep the system going day in, day out.
I understand the intent, but the imbalance is hard to ignore when bonuses at the top are defended while costs are always found to bear down on the workforce below. That inequity matters, especially to those of us who still believe Labour should know better.
Thank you for engaging, and I wish you a Merry Christmas. Take a look at www.midlamdsGRIT on Boxing Day Derek.
Best,
Mike