“It’s draining”: bin workers on the mental toll a year into Birmingham’s strike
Refuse workers speak in their own words about stress, uncertainty and life on the picket line
A year on from the first Birmingham bin strike, workers say the prolonged industrial action has had a deep impact on their mental health.
Speaking on the picket line at the Perry Barr depot, refuse loader Penny said she never expected the dispute to last this long. “I thought it’d take a couple of months at most,” she said. “Certainly not a year in.”
She described feeling “deflated” and “demotivated”, adding that while the camaraderie on the picket line helps lift spirits, the strain has been relentless. Penny said financial pressure has played a major role in affecting her wellbeing. “We’re having sleepless nights. I’m lucky if I get three or four hours of sleep,” she said. “It’s made me ill, get depressed.”
Luke, another loader at Perry Barr, said the mental impact has been closely tied to uncertainty about income and job security. “You’re constantly thinking — am I going back? What’s happening with my money? Can I pay my bills?” he said. “If you’re struggling financially, you’ll always be struggling mentally.”
Workers said the experience of being out of work for so long has fundamentally changed people. Unite representative Mike Masters said many on the picket line had worked all their lives and had never experienced unemployment before. “The more you’re out of work, the more your life changes,” he said. “Money issues arise, family issues arise, and it plays on your mind.”
Luke Dalton, also a Unite rep, said the unknown has been one of the hardest aspects. “It’s constant,” he said. “It has an impact on you mentally because you don’t know what’s coming next.”
Several workers said fears about what will happen when they eventually return to work have also weighed heavily on them. Penny said concerns about job security and treatment at work have become a constant mental burden. “You’re debating in your own head — am I going to go back and still have a job?” she said. “It takes its toll. It’s draining.”
Despite the pressure, workers said they continue to draw strength from standing together. But a year on, many said they are still struggling with the psychological cost of a dispute they never expected to endure for this long.