Women on strike have a right to be outraged

A Tory MP has thrown his support behind more than 1,500 female school staff who have taken part in strike action over an ongoing dispute over equal pay.

Teaching assistants, catering staff and other workers at 35 schools across Birmingham staged industrial action on Tuesday – the same week pupils sat their Sats exams.

Speaking on BBC Politics Midlands, Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb said it was “absolutely outrageous” that women were being vilified in the workforce.

Birmingham City Council said it was keen to work with the GMB union and was committed to tackling equal pay issues.

“I’m the least likely to support any union, however in this case they have every right to be outraged by what’s going on,” Ms Webb said.

“It’s absolutely outrageous that in 2024 we’re still talking about pay parity for women, I feel for every woman who was outside that board and protested.”

The Black Country politician slammed the Labour-led local authority and told viewers: “this is what will happen if we get a Labor government”.

Commenting on the issue, John Spellar, Labor MP for Warley, called the equal pay dispute “a long-term legacy issue”.

He said: “When the issue of equal pay first blew up, the government of the day gave local governments the ability to borrow money to deal with it.

“Sandwell took up that offer and paid for it over the course of seven years, Birmingham, under a Labour, Liberal Democrat coalition government, stuck its head in the sand and hoped it would go away.

“This is a problem that needs to be solved, but it’s one that’s been around for a long time.”

During the recent strike, around 500 people gathered outside the city council house in protest, with one woman saying she had taken on extra work to cope with rising living costs.

Members of the GMB union voted in favor of strike action in April and accused Birmingham City Council of delaying the settlement of equal pay claims by low-paid female workers.

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

The city council declared itself effectively bankrupt in September, following a claim for up to £760m in equal payments, as well as an £80m overspend on its disastrous 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.

A 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 historic equal pay issues and addressing all the legitimate claims of our employees,” they said.

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