Angela Rayner’s response to Birmingham’s bin crisis sums up perfectly the hypocrisy that runs through Labour’s veins like a disease. A darling of the trade union movement for most of her life, the Deputy Prime Minister has suddenly realised picket lines are a bit of a problem if you are trying to run a country. Rayner pleaded with Unite to suspend its action and accept the “improved deal” during a visit to the second city as rats grow fat on the rotting waste covering the streets.

She added: “The people of Birmingham are our first priority – this dispute is causing misery and disruption to residents and the backlog must be dealt with quickly to address public health risks.” Any trade unionist worth their salt knows the only point of strike action is to cause disruption to ordinary people. It is only when the public suffers that they have any power.

On her official “about me” page, Rayner states proudly: “From the beginning of my working life I’ve always stood up for working people, first as a Trade Union rep representing care workers and then as a regional union official. Now I use the skills I’ve developed to represent the communities of Ashton-under-Lyne.”

It goes on to explain how she was put forward by her women work-mates to speak for them as a union rep with UNISON because she was “mouthy” and “would take no messing from management”.

“She rose through the ranks of the trade union movement with her direct experience of low pay, long hours and zero hours contracts, to become the most senior elected official of UNISON in the North West of England,” it adds.

Rayner’s plea for the union to give in clearly infuriated Unite’s General Secretary Sharon Graham, who quickly issued a statement in “response to Angela Rayner Birmingham comments”.

She said attacks and briefings by the Government against the low paid workers were “frankly a disgrace”. “It is important to reiterate the truth, as opposed to the lies being peddled in an attempt to distract,” she said.

“This dispute is not about greed, or increased pay. This dispute is about workers losing up to £8,000 of their pay – which for some is almost a quarter.”

Graham said the deal represented “a partial deal on pay protection for a few” and that the striking bin workers were “in the driving seat around what they wish to accept”.

Before the election, Rayner said she had no problems with picket lines but she wanted to get into government to “promise the UK” the Labour would prevent strikes.

Instead, a Labour government funded by the trade unions and a bankrupt Labour council has left residents living in misery.

The Left lives to stick it to the establishment but when it becomes the establishment it becomes confused and struggles to know how to respond.

It has always romanticised strikes when in reality any industrial action is absolutely horrendous for workers. Those who walk out suffer great hardship, unless, of course, they are doctors who go off and work in the private sector instead of standing around a brazier.

Those who break the picket line face abuse and bullying. Relationships are destroyed. Rayner was the key architect of Labour’s plans for a massive expansion of workers rights.

The changes would give workers rights from day one in a new job, meaning employers could be left with a complete dud on their books with little they could do about it.

Rayner is also behind plans to overturn Tory anti-strike laws, which were put in place to stop the country being held to ransom like this.

Most Popular Comments

“Well if your paying council tax and this includes emptying rubbish bin which are not being emptied, which therefore should allow the affected …” 25

“Ive just watched MP Katie Lam face off with Jess Philips in the house of commons …” 24

“Look at London, Look at Birmingham. THATS LABOUR remember that when you vote next month. “ 20

JOIN THE DEBATE

Strikes began in Birmingham a month ago and the council has declared it a major incident. At least 17,000 tonnes of rubbish have piled up since causing a rat problem so bad that they are said to be chewing through cars.

Unite said changes being imposed by the council will hit 150 staff and mean some face losing up to £8,000 a year.

The strikes of the final Tory years that were enthusiastically backed by many in Labour, including Rayner, were about the scale of pay rises at a time of economic instability, not about taking a quarter of the salary of some of the country’s lowest paid workers off them.

It’s no wonder Unite is so furious with her.

But Rayner, who is also Communities Secretary, is finally having to admit that the interests of the wider public rather than the trade unions is always more important.