ON APRIL 7, just a month into the brave all-out strike by Unite’s Birmingham bin workers, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Birmingham Council, Roger Harmer, suggested that firefighters should be brought in to clear “obstructions and waste.”

Our union’s response was clear and unequivocal. We gave our full solidarity to these striking workers and made it absolutely clear that we would advise our members never to undermine another worker’s strike.

Clueless comments from politicians aside, this was not the end of our involvement in the dispute. Solidarity is not just something declared in press statements or talk-show interviews. Solidarity means turning up. It means mobilising. It means using the power and resources of our union to back others in struggle.

That is why, at every Megapicket, we have not just spoken — we have acted. We have mobilised. On May 9, we joined thousands in shutting down Lifford Lane where Birmingham recycling centre is based. On July 25, we stood shoulder to shoulder with even more workers as FBU members were on the front line at the Smithfield site, blocking wagons and helping to make the Megapicket a huge success.

Our solidarity is not something we display only during moments of mobilisation and direct action and then quietly withdraw. It is constant. It is part of our union’s fabric — supporting all workers and standing with our communities.

That is why our national conference in Blackpool last year was proud to host and hear directly from striking Unite bin workers. Delegates responded with standing ovations and generous donations from the floor, raising much-needed solidarity funds.

Months later, our national officers’ school heard again from striking bin workers, alongside the Gloucestershire phlebotomists, My CSP, and Sheffield bin strikers.

This rally, organised in partnership with Strike Map, brought together a key layer of our union to discuss the impact of industrial action, deepen solidarity, and reflect on organising strategies for the weeks and months ahead.

As a Labour-affiliated trade union, we have been clear that Birmingham Labour Council, the government-appointed commissioners, and the various secretaries of state involved in this dispute must urgently find a resolution.

We were appalled when Birmingham Council took the costly decision to walk away from negotiations last summer and imposed “fire and rehire” on its workforce. A decision that has now cost the council £34 million and rising.

This Labour government — and Labour councils elected across the country — were meant to offer hope and help build a fairer society for all. Time is running out to demonstrate that to the public and to show that voting Labour can genuinely improve the lives of working people and their families.

In Birmingham, it may already be too late, with polling showing deep dissatisfaction with Labour and even the loss of a council by-election in 2025 during the strike.

That is why, one year on from the start of this dispute — and nearly a year since the move to all-out strike — we are calling on the Prime Minister to intervene and bring this dispute to an end once and for all.

Today’s “Megapicket 3-D”, organised by Strike Map — an organisation we have long affiliated to and proudly supported — follows a call for an end to the bin strike signed by 115 Labour MPs and councillors from across the country.

That is why John McDonnell MP will be among today’s speakers, joining trade union leaders and representatives from other political parties in backing the workers and demanding a resolution.

Birmingham Labour Council and its commissioners are increasingly isolated. The people of Birmingham want this dispute resolved, just as the workers do. We will return again and again until that happens.

Meanwhile, we are entering the early stages of our own campaign, including the potential for national industrial action over cuts to fire and rescue services. Local government is in crisis, and as trade unions we will use both our “soft” and “hard” power to force the government to invest in and properly support our public services.

Without that change, Birmingham’s bin workers will not be the only ones on strike — and this government will face growing discontent from the very people who elected it.

This year’s local elections and the Welsh Assembly elections will be a test of the damage already done to Labour’s support base. That damage is not just about Labour losing ground, but about the dangerous prospect of Reform UK gaining power.

Today’s “Megapicket” is a reminder that hope still exists, and that trade unions can be vehicle through which a fairer society can be built. Today’s Megapicket is a demonstration of the power we have—and the change we can win when we act together.

Steve Wright is general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU).