‘Birmingham women fight for pay justice’ – School support staff wear orange smocks on strike

Hundreds of school support staff wearing ‘Birmingham women fight for pay justice’ protested outside the city council offices today, Tuesday 14 May. Workers from 35 schools, including teaching assistants, administration, catering and grounds maintenance staff, joined the action during SAT. week.

The protest in Victoria Square came after Birmingham City Council bosses were criticized for delays in dealing with equal pay claims made by women employed by the authority. The GMB union said no female workers had received any of the money they were owed after they were excluded from bonuses paid to those in traditionally male-dominated jobs such as rubbish collectors and road workers.

One protester called the situation “an absolute and disgusting injustice”. Signs at the demonstration read: ‘Cough BCC’, while flags were waved that read: ‘Midlands fight for equal pay.’ Teaching assistant Cass Roberts, from Kings Heath Primary School, told BirminghamLive: “It is absolutely not fair that men who are on the same pay grade because we are paid more. It is an absolute injustice.

READ MORE: School strike threat looms as union members back walkouts

“It’s disgusting. This is the third generation payment. They should have fixed it a long time ago – they’ve been putting it off constantly. They’ve admitted they’re wrong and they know they have to pay. I don’t know why they’re putting it off any longer much sum and we are getting more and more angry.

Receptionist Karen Jebb, from Yorkmead Junior and Infant School, in Hall Green, said: “We are here because fair is fair. Women should have had equal rights and equal pay. Nice to see men here too. I hope this makes a difference, but I don’t think this will be the first time we have to protest to get through this.”

An admin secretary at a school in south Birmingham, who asked not to be named, said: “For many years we have been undervalued and underpaid. The pay scale is not equal for our job descriptions, so the people who work for the council, their salaries are inflated.

“We have a very responsible job, caring and creating a safe place for children. Many of us work in schools and are not appreciated at all. They have been underpaying us for years. They know this and yet they are not ready. to pay us the money and give back the date to sort it out.

“I’ve been at the school for 18 years, a lot of people have been at it for more than 20 years and I’ve never gone on strike. When they wanted to save money, they froze our wages for three years. We really earn less than we ever have with the rate of inflation Our money never keeps up with it and it takes advantage of the support staff in the community”.

GMB organizer Alice Reynolds said: “Birmingham’s equal pay crisis only ends when council bosses hand back the wages they stole from female workers. Our members mean business. They will not be made to pay for a crisis they did not create, and they are not willing to accept more broken promises. A strike is always a last resort, but these workers have been pushed to the brink.”

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council previously told BirminghamLive: “The council has been engaging with the GMB on equal pay issues since November 2021 and, following the subsequent agreement reached with the unions in October 2023, has begun work on a new approach of job evaluation. solve Birmingham’s equal pay issues once and for all. The Council would encourage the GMB to explore solutions that work together as it remains committed to resolving historic equal pay issues and addressing all the legitimate claims of our employees.”

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