Birmingham school support staff to walk away from equal pay

Support staff are to walk out of 35 Birmingham schools in an ongoing dispute over equal pay claims.

Up to 1,500 teaching assistants, catering staff and other workers will go on strike on Tuesday, during the week students sit their Sats exams.

The authority said it was keen to work with GMB and was committed to tackling equal pay issues.

The dispute relates to claims that staff in female-dominated roles have historically been underpaid compared to men.

Speaking to BBC Midlands Today, GMB organizer Alice Reynolds said staff were underpaid and underpaid and enough was enough.

The city council effectively declared bankruptcy in September following a claim for equal payment of up to £760m, as well as an £80m overspend on an IT system.

But the £760m quoted in the council’s budget represented the maximum potential liability and could be lower, it said.

The council said it had begun work on a new job review process to address pay equity issues.

But Ms Reynolds criticized the authority for not letting them know when the claims would be settled and said she had been “beat into the long grass”.

“The jobs review is not going to pay back the money that women have stolen for years,” she said.

“Women in schools and many council areas have not been properly assessed.”

She said some schools would be forced to close due to the strike, but most would be through partial closures, adding: “These women value their jobs and school communities more than anything.

“The fact that they chose to go on strike during Sats week is actually a phenomenal step for them to take.”

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said the authority had been engaging with GMB on equal pay matters since November 2021.

“The council is keen to work with the GMB to explore solutions as it remains committed to resolving the historic equal pay issues and addressing all the legitimate claims of our employees.”

The Birmingham schools where GMB members will be striking are: