International Bin Strike Solidarity Party: From Birmingham to Chennai

Solid Joy are delighted to announce our next event. On January 30 at Centrala, we will be throwing a party to celebrate and support the striking Birmingham bin workers and to raise consciousness and funds for sanitation workers in Chennai, India.

For a year now, Birmingham bin workers have been striking to resist an £8000 pay cut. The council, rather than negotiate a settlement to end this dispute, have spent a fortune on agency workers in an attempt to break the strike.

Solid Joy fully supports the workers just demands, and recognises that a win for the workers would be the biggest victory for organised labour in decades. On the other hand, if they lose, councils up and down the country will look to this as a blueprint to decimate pay and conditions.

In Chennai, India, sanitation workers have also been engaged in a long strike against privatisation, fire and rehire, threats to wages, and unfair terms and conditions. They recently reached a deal, a step on the journey, but their struggle continues.

Money from ticket sales and raffle tickets will go to support the Chennai workers and their union. We extend our solidarity to workers everywhere fighting for a fair deal.

The event itself will feature a speech from one of the Birmingham workers, and another on the situation in Chennai. We will then be joined by wonderful DJ’s, including from Revolution Sound System, who we’re very happy to be working with for this event.

Tickets are priced on a sliding scale, but as ever, if you need a free ticket, let us know and you can come for free, no questions asked. All £££ raised goes to Chennai strikers, of whom are predominately women and Dalit. 

Misogyny, racism, homophobia, transphobia and any forms of discrimination are not welcome at Solid Joy. This is a space where we act in kindness, care and solidarity with one other.

Solidarity, and victory to the workers.

The Solid Joy team x