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From The Socialist newspaper, 8 December 2021
Sandwell bin workers beat Serco and win pay rise
Bins, photo Ivor Ibrahamsen (Creative Commons) (Click to enlarge)
Richard Gingell, Birmingham North Socialist Party
It's a good thing Serco runs refuse centres, because they certainly belong in the trash. This time there's trouble up in Sandwell in the West Midlands, where over 100 refuse workers have been on strike citing poor pay, dangerous conditions and bullying from management.
The strikes started with a few days here and there from August, increasing in intensity, with a plan to escalate in the build up to Christmas. However, following a 90% ballot to accept a deal from Serco, those plans are no more.
The offer itself is a 4% increase, as well as an uplift of around £1,000 for drivers, and a promise to bring agency workers onto permanent contracts and fix safety issues around the site.
While this is a welcome victory, the issues are far from solved. The Sandwell refuse workers still face a huge pay discrepancy versus those doing the same role in neighbouring authorities, a difference as high as £7,000 in extreme cases. There's also the obvious problem of that 4% raise being almost entirely wiped out by inflation within a year.
Instead, workers need to continue to press their advantage and fight to get their compensation bought into line with their neighbours - a demand that Serco will bitterly oppose as their profits come directly from the wages of those under their employ. If Serco won't listen, then this battle needs to be brought to the local Labour council to finally put the interests of those in our community above that of the profits of the multinationals.
If the council won't do that, then they need to be challenged at the ballot box - which is what the Socialist Party will be doing as part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition this May!
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In The Socialist 8 December 2021:
News
Unite to fight for pay and NHS we deserve
Government social care plans: Where is the money?
Uni staff and students must unite to end marketisation and for free education
What we think
Workers' politics needed to exploit Tory scandal and splits
People's Budgets
Building People's Budgets: An alternative to Tory and Labour cuts
International news
Chile presidential election - stop the far-right candidate
Unprecedented floods in British Columbia
Wider working-class and union struggle needed to win St Vincent nurses' strike
Defending abortion rights in the US
Workplace news
Universities strike - build the action and stand united to win
Thousands of Tesco warehouse workers to strike
Sandwell bin workers beat Serco and win pay rise
Panasonic workers break company pay freeze
Clarks strikers defeat 'fire and rehire'
Organise to win the NEU's 8% pay demand
Yorkshire Stagecoach bus workers' week-long strike
Worksop Wincanton logistics workers on strike
Newham Sixth Form College begins strike against academisation
Sheffield Just East couriers picket and march for pay rise
Napo ballots for trade dispute
Campaigns news
Challenge cutters and evictors in Waltham Forest Council
Fighting Fund: Help us reach over £50,000
Defying unjust laws - a rich history of struggle
Mail attacks tube strikers by stealing socialist's image
Review
Film review: The Harder They Fall
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2021