logo
Birmingham-style bin strikes could spread across Britain, union warns

Birmingham-style bin strikes could spread across Britain, union warns

Telegraph07-04-2025
Birmingham-style bin strikes could break out across the UK as workers demand higher pay, a trade union boss has warned.
Clare Keogh, the national officer for local government at Unite, said members were angry that Birmingham city council had failed to surrender in the dispute, which has left the area overrun with rats and triggered comparisons to the Winter of Discontent in the 1970s.
She said there was 'massive potential this will escalate' and warned strikes could break out 'up and down the country'.
It came as the Tories called on Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, to hand back £10,000 she has been given by Unite, one of the Labour Party's biggest overall donors.
Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow local government secretary, said: 'If she were on the side of British people she would think about giving back the money.
'But instead she has refused to take action to take on the bully boy tactics of Unite, as she is a paid-up member and in their pay.'
Birmingham city council was forced to declare a major incident after some 400 Unite members launched an all-out strike last month in a dispute over pay and jobs.
The industrial action has caused misery for residents, with more than 17,000 tons of household waste piling up in the streets. Some claimed neighbourhoods were being plagued by rats 'as big as small cats' as picket lines blocked bin lorry depots.
'Anger is growing'
Another strike involving Unite refuse workers, which has led to recycling sites being closed, continues in Sheffield, and Ms Keogh told the i newspaper that more ballots for strike action in other areas were being considered.
She said: 'In Birmingham, and many other councils we've seen over the last few years, our members have been prepared to walk out, saying 'this just isn't good enough and we're not going to take any more cuts'.
'That anger is growing and we're seeing that in the increasing number of strike ballots that we're taking forward. I think if the Government doesn't get a grip on it, that will definitely escalate.'
Unions have submitted pay claims for local government workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the next financial year. Pay talks are continuing in Scotland.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ghislaine Maxwell subpoenaed by Congress over Epstein ahead of Trump team meeting
Ghislaine Maxwell subpoenaed by Congress over Epstein ahead of Trump team meeting

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

Ghislaine Maxwell subpoenaed by Congress over Epstein ahead of Trump team meeting

US Congress's House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has issued a subpoena to Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition to occur at Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee on August 11. 'The facts and circumstances surrounding both your and Mr Epstein 's cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny,' Comer wrote in a statement. 'While the Justice Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to your and Mr Epstein's cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government's enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of you and Mr Epstein,' he added. It came as a federal judge in Florida denied a Justice Department request to release grand jury transcripts from the investigation of Epstein. The quick denial blocked efforts by the Trump administration to blunt criticism of its handling of files related to the sex offender, who was once a friend of the president. One of Donald Trump's top law officials is set to meet with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in the next several days. Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, confirmed Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will talk directly to the disgraced British socialite. Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, has been requesting meetings with Trump administration officials and has argued that Maxwell did not receive a fair trial. 'I can confirm that we are in discussions with the government and that Ghislaine will always testify truthfully," Markus told the Mirror. "We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case.'

Tory membership falls under Badenoch
Tory membership falls under Badenoch

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

Tory membership falls under Badenoch

Membership of the Conservative Party has plummeted under Kemi Badenoch, figures reveal. The Tories have 8,000 fewer members than they did when Mrs Badenoch won the party leadership in November. The figures are likely to prompt concern among MPs that the party is failing to recover from the wipeout at the general election last year. At the time of the leadership election last year, the Tories had 131,000 members but this has since fallen to 123,000. The statistics, first reported by The Spectator and not denied by the party, are a further blow to Mrs Badenoch and come amid mounting questions about her future as party leader. The Tories have consistently lagged behind Reform UK in the polls since the beginning of the year. The party currently sits at just 17 per cent in opinion polls, behind Reform on 28 per cent and Labour on 22 per cent. A war of words between Mrs Badenoch and Mr Farage erupted last December when they accused each other of faking their parties' membership numbers. Mr Farage said that his party had more members than the Conservatives for the first time on Boxing Day last year. The Tory leader alleged that Reform's online membership tracker was 'not real' and claimed that analysis of their website showed that it automatically increased, regardless of the real number of members. Reform then invited several media outlets, including The Telegraph, to examine the system. The demonstration provided strong evidence that the ticker was based on verified membership data logged in real time through a third-party website. Mr Farage responded: 'We understand you are bitter, upset and angry that we are now the second biggest party in British politics, and that the Conservative brand is dying under your leadership. However, this [is] not an excuse to accuse us of committing fraud.' The Conservatives have also been hit by a series of defections of former MPs to Reform, most recently Sir Jake Berry, the former chairman of the party. The Tories suffered a bruising round of local elections in May, losing over 650 seats and control of all its councils amid a Reform surge. Their leader is likely to face another challenging set of May elections next year, when voters go to the polls to elect members of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Senedd. Mrs Badenoch won the race to become Rishi Sunak's successor on the back of her 'Renewal 2030' campaign last November. She focused on returning the party to 'first principles' such as personal responsibility, freedom and family, rather than making concrete policy proposals. The approach has attracted criticism from some Tories, with over half of members saying they believed she was moving too slowly on policy development, according to a poll in April. Mrs Badenoch dismissed the claims, telling BBC Radio 4 that she was elected on such a strategy and adding: 'I'm not changing my mind or getting blown off course.' Meanwhile, Robert Jenrick, who came second to Mrs Badenoch in the race for the leadership and serves as her shadow justice secretary, continues to be the subject of speculation about a future tilt. But Sir Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said in June that Mrs Badenoch will 'get better' as Tory leader like Margaret Thatcher did. Mrs Badenoch this week brought Sir James Cleverly, her former rival for the leadership, back onto her front bench in a move to boost party unity. As shadow housing secretary, Sir James will take on Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, making him one of the most senior frontbenchers. Last week, the former home secretary said that the Tories had to 'get out of this habit of cycling through leaders in the hope that ditching this one and picking a new one will make life easy for us'.

Civil Service anti-Islamophobia training led by group who say ‘Islamist' is discriminatory
Civil Service anti-Islamophobia training led by group who say ‘Islamist' is discriminatory

Telegraph

time2 hours ago

  • Telegraph

Civil Service anti-Islamophobia training led by group who say ‘Islamist' is discriminatory

Civil servants were given anti-Islamophobia training by a group that once claimed the word 'Islamist' was discriminatory. Mandarins at Ed Miliband's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) took part in an hour-long course in November at a £350 cost to the department. It comes after Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, set up a working group to help her draw up a definition of Islamophobia, despite fears of a chilling effect on free speech. The training session for civil servants was delivered by the Anti-Islamophobia Working Group (AIWG), which claims to be an 'apolitical' coalition of civil society groups and experts. In its report Strategies for Eradicating Islamophobia, published last year, the AIWG argued that referring to 'Islamists' or 'jihadists' could stigmatise all Muslims. It said: 'Public officials should refrain from using terms like 'Islamists' and 'jihadists' when referring to criminals who commit any form of crime, to promote responsible and non-discriminatory language. 'Using these terms to describe criminals can lead to stigmatisation and the unjust association of an entire religious or cultural group with criminal behaviour. Instead, public officials should opt for more precise and neutral language to describe criminal activities. 'By doing so, they can avoid perpetuating negative stereotypes and help maintain a more inclusive, fair and informed public discourse.' The cost and provider of the training session emerged in response to a written question by Kevin Hollinrake, the new chairman of the Conservatives. Michael Shanks, a junior DESNZ minister, said: 'DESNZ is committed to creating a culture where all colleagues feel valued and supported, in line with our 'Inclusive' value.' 'Gravely concerning and warrants urgent action' In response to an earlier question from the Tories, Mr Shanks said the Government 'cannot share the content' of the AIWG workshop because it was given by an external provider. Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said: 'It is deeply concerning that DESNZ is not prepared to share the content of this session. 'Without transparency there is a risk that training is embedding deeply contested ideology into the civil service, which is meant to be impartial. 'Frankly, officials' time would be better spent on bringing down the cost of energy bills.' Mr Miliband had vowed to make Islamophobia an 'aggravated crime' in an interview with Muslim News at the 2015 general election when he was Labour leader. In its report last year, the AIWG also heavily criticised Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, over her remarks about the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations that followed the Oct 7 attacks and the subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza. 'The then Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded [the] pro-Palestine demonstrations as 'hate marches', arguably inciting division and emboldening far-Right sentiments,' it said. 'This, coupled with the surge in Islamophobia, is gravely concerning and warrants urgent action.' The group has also pressed ministers to define Islamophobia and appeared to suggest its own definition. 'Islamophobia is a stereotypical and negative perception of Muslims, which may be expressed as hatred of Muslims,' the AIWG said. A committee with 'extreme views' 'It is prejudice, bias, hostility, discrimination, or violence against Muslims for being Muslim or Muslims institutions or property for being Muslim or perceived as Muslim. 'Islamophobia can manifest as a form of racial, religious, national origin, and/or ethnic discrimination, bias, or hatred; or, a combination thereof.' Ms Rayner has appointed a five-strong panel to draw up its own definition to be applied across the public sector despite fears it could prevent politicians speaking up about Asian grooming gangs. The Conservatives have also accused her of appointing a committee with 'extreme' views. The working group is chaired by Dominic Grieve, a former Tory cabinet minister, and is meeting in secret, with members of the public not able to offer their views. Mr Grieve once praised a report published in 2019 which called the discussion of ' grooming gangs ' an example of 'anti-Muslim racism'. A DESNZ spokesman said: 'This spending adheres to EDI guidance published in May 2024 by the previous government. 'We are focused on ensuring every pound spent of taxpayer money delivers for the public.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store