Keir Starmer urged to intervene in Birmingham bin strike
Members of Unite have been on all-out strike since March, leading to bags of rubbish piling up across the city's streets.
FBU general secretary Steve Wright said the Labour Government must use its power and influence to insist that Birmingham Council halts planned pay cuts, which Unite says would lead to workers losing £8,000-a-year.
The Prime Minister has been urged to intervene (Frank Augstein/PA)
The firefighters' leader said unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU would not tolerate a 'betrayal' of the bin workers similar to that of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet kitchen strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers, during a series of high-profile disputes in the late 1990s that he says Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in.
Steve Wright said: 'The treatment of the bin workers has been outrageous.
'It's a disgrace that a Labour-led council forced these dedicated public servants to go on strike by attempting to cut their pay by thousands of pounds.
'The Prime Minister and his deputy cannot stand by any longer and allow this attack on the jobs and wages of these workers who have lost their family incomes and faced dire poverty for many months.
'Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner could easily resolve this dispute by insisting that Birmingham Council halts the planned pay cuts and compensates the bin workers for all lost earnings.
'The leadership of the Labour Government has the power to do this, and there must be no excuses.
'Nearly 30 years ago, Tony Blair's Labour government failed to intervene in favour of the Liverpool dockers, Magnet strikers in Darlington, and Hillingdon hospital workers.
'Unions affiliated to Labour like the FBU that help fund the party's election campaigns will not tolerate a repeat of this betrayal of striking workers.'
Unite has suspended Ms Rayner's membership of the union and is re-examining its relationship with Labour as a result of the dispute.
The council insists its move is aimed at improving the waste and recycling service, adding that affected workers have been offered other jobs.
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: 'The Government has been working intensively with the council to tackle the backlog and clean up the streets in the interests of Birmingham residents and public health.
'The Government remains committed to supporting Birmingham's long-term transformation, for the benefit of local residents, and to a sustainable resolution of the equal pay issues which have been left unresolved for far too long.'
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