AN AMAZING victory has been notched up by wildcat strikers in Brighton.
After two days on "illegal" strike, refuse workers at Brighton's Hollingdean Depot have won their fight against management bullying.
The striking bin staff had been complaining about management bullying after staff refused to double their workload due to lack of vehicles and under-staffing.
As part of what workers called management's "bully tactics", four refuse workers had been moved onto different crews sparking anger amongst the depot and leading to the wildcat action.
The GMB union had advised members to go back to work and only strike under official conditions.
The staff at the Hollingdean Depot downed tools on Tuesday in retaliation to having tightly-knit crews broken up by managers.
Another worker said his cousin, who also works at the depot, had been "punished" for having time off sick by being put onto another shift.
Although some bin collections went ahead, a majority of residents who were due to have their bins emptied were left without a service.
Thursday morning's 6am rounds were carried out as normal but the second shift, starting at 6.50am, refused to go to out. Talks between the council and the GMB union took place in a bid to resolve the issue.
At the time, neither side was able to offer a firm indication on when the strike would be over though the strikers stated they would strike for days or weeks until their demands were met.
Refuse workers at the Hollingdean Depot undertook a four day strike and occupation in 2001, which forced the change of management from private company SITA to Brighton and Hove council.
For an account of the 2001 battle, go to http://libcom.org/history/2001-brighton-bin-mens-strike-and-occupation