Martin Daubney has urged Angela Rayner to “choose the horse she’s going to back” as the Birmingham bin strike crisis deepens, warning that trade unions are “flexing their muscles” against the Labour Government.
Speaking about the Deputy Prime Minister’s position in the dispute, Martin said: “If she chooses to remain neutral and side with the council rather than the workers, then she’ll face the chagrin of the unions.”
Martin’s remarks come after Unite took the dramatic step of suspending Rayner’s membership following an emergency motion at the union’s policy conference in Brighton earlier today.
The motion overwhelmingly condemned Birmingham’s Labour-run council and Sir Keir Starmer’s Government for their treatment of striking bin workers.
Martin Daubney has urged Angela Rayner to “choose the horse she’s going to back”
GB NEWS
Birmingham council leader John Cotton and fellow Unite councillors have also had their memberships suspended for their involvement in what the union describes as effectively dismissing and rehiring workers.
The industrial action, which has lasted four months, centres on proposed pay reductions of up to £8,000 for bin workers.
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Speaking on GB News, Martin said: “Angela Rayner needs to choose the horse she’s going to back here. If she chooses to remain neutral and side with the council rather than the workers, then she’ll face the chagrin of the unions.
“But the trouble is, if she caves to the unions, they’ll come back time and time again with similar demands. Elsewhere, they’re flexing their muscles. They carry a lot of financial clout. How do you see this playing out?”
Baroness Dianne Hayter replied: “I think it’s only some members of that trade union who feel that way. She’s not part of this dispute. When I was on the National Executive, and when I was Chair of the Labour Party, the trade unions, including Unite, always used to say to politicians: ‘Keep out of this. Our dispute is with the employer.’
“In this case, it happens to be Birmingham. But whenever there was any industrial dispute, they did not want politicians involved and I think that remains the case for most trade unionists. They are there to represent their members in relation to the employer or Government.
“Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, quite rightly, is not a party to this. I believe most trade unionists agree that this should be resolved between Unite, Birmingham, and the Government side of it.”
The Birmingham bin workers have been engaged in industrial action for four months over substantial wage reductions imposed by the city council.
Workers face pay cuts of up to £8,000, which Unite describes as being implemented through a process of dismissal and rehiring.
The union has accused Birmingham’s Labour-run council of “peddling lies” and “smearing” workers who are fighting against these significant salary reductions.
Angela Rayner has been suspended by the Unite unionPAUnite general secretary Sharon Graham stated that the council’s actions amount to “fire and rehire” practices, which she argues contradicts promises made in the Employment Relations Act.
The dispute has created a major confrontation between the Labour Government, Birmingham’s Labour council, and one of the party’s traditional union supporters, with workers bearing the brunt of the proposed financial cuts.
Graham also delivered a scathing assessment of the deputy prime minister’s handling of the crisis, stating: “Unite is crystal clear it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette.”
