‘WE CAN’T STOP NOW’
BINMEN VOW TO FIGHT ON AND SOME RESIDENTS MAY NOT HAVE BINS EMPTIED FOR THREE WEEKS - FULL STORY
STRIKING Huddersfield bin workers will return to work on Tuesday but more industrial action has not been ruled out.
On Friday more than 50 people including strikers and trade union activists, marched in sweltering temperatures from the Vine Street Depot off Leeds Road to Huddersfield Town Hall for a rally.
The refuse collectors have been out on strike since Monday in a long-running dispute over alleged racism, bullying and harassment.
Kirklees Council is not paying their wages while they are on strike, and Unison regional officer Gary Cleaver confirmed that some strikers would receive a minimum of £25 a day from union funds though some could receive more.
Nick Spivey, 52, who has been working for Kirklees for 33 years, said: “We obviously don’t want to take any more action. If Kirklees put something on the table that is acceptable to us then we will take it.
“But after three years of intimidation we can’t afford to stop now. This strike has galvanised the workforce. There are people who have come on this picket line I didn’t think would strike.”
Gary Cleaver, Unison regional officer, said: “We will meet with the council next week with secretaries from both sides and enter into further negotiations.
“We would obviously like to bring this to a negotiated settlement but one that is satisfactory to our members.”
In other words, further industrial action has not been ruled out ,but the legal framework is such that no more action can take place for at least a fortnight from Tuesday.
A curiosity of the strike is that it has been entirely confined to south Kirklees – that is most of Huddersfield and the Colne Valley area while north Kirklees, Mirfield, Dewsbury etc have escaped with scarcely a bin being missed.
Veteran left-wing activist, Roger Keely, praised the courage of the strikers.
He told them: “Strikers are the least selfish of people, you lose income and you have a struggle for your reputation and you receive punishment from the authorities if you are unsuccessful. It’s a hard decision to take on.
“You are the leaders of the Huddersfield working class at the moment and I hope you will win and if you do it will be a fantastic victory for the whole of the Huddersfield working class.”
The return to work means some Huddersfield residents will not find their grey bins collected for THREE weeks.
Given the hot weather the council is prioritising grey bin collections and a full explanation of its policy is available by going to its website: https://kirkleestogether.co.uk/2018/06/28/bin-strike-inkirklees-how-it-will-affect-you/