School support staff walk out over equal pay

Staff at Yardley Wood Community Primary School have taken part in the strike

Support staff have walked out of 35 schools across Birmingham in an ongoing dispute over equal pay claims.

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

About 500 people gathered outside Birmingham Council House in protest with one woman saying she had taken on extra work to cope with the rising costs of living.

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

Teaching assistants and catering staff are among those involved in the industrial action

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

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

Speaking to BBC Midlands Today, GMB organiser Alice Reynolds said staff had been undervalued and enough was enough.

'Not valued properly'

The city council declared itself effectively bankrupt in September as a result of an equal pay claim of up to £760m, as well as an £80m overspend on an IT system.

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

The council said it had begun to work on a new job evaluation process to settle the equal pay issues.

About 500 women and supporters gathered at Birmingham Council House in protest

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

“Job evaluation won’t pay back the money that women have had stolen from them for years,” she said.

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

Teaching assistant Pamela Lee says she has to work two jobs just to make ends meet

Teaching assistant Pamela Lee who attended the council house protest told the BBC she has had to take on another job to cope with the rising cost of living.

“I’m a teaching assistant by day and a waitress by night because I have to cover my bills, at the moment I can’t do that on this wage," she said.

“It’s really frustrating because I love this job so much, the satisfaction of knowing that I’ve made a difference to the children’s lives.”

She has worked for the local authority for 20 years and says she has been underpaid for the majority of that period.

Ms Lee added: “We’re fed up with being undervalued and we work really hard at serving the children of Birmingham and we just want our equal pay.

Rhea Wolfson helped to organise the protest

Rhea Wolfson, GMB head of industrial relations, told BBC Radio WM: “I’m devastated that it has come to this, it means that we have had five more years on top of the decades before, of these women having their wages stolen from them.

"It’s unacceptable and enough is enough.”

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

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

The Birmingham schools where GMB members have gone on strike are:

• Arden Primary School

• Beeches Junior School

• Benson Community School

• Boldmere Infants & Nursery School

• Bordesley Green East Nursery School

• Bordesley Green Primary School

• Chad Vale Primary School

• Cherry Orchard Primary School

• Chilcote Primary School

• Clifton Primary School

• Colmore Infant & Nursery School

• Colmore Junior School

• Elms Farm Primary School

• Forestdale Primary School

• George Dixon Primary School

• Gunter Primary School

• Harborne Primary School

• Hodge Hill Girls School

• Jakeman Nursery School

• James Watt Primary

• Kings Heath Primary School

• Lozells Junior & Infant School

• Marsh Hill Nursery

• Minworth J & I School

• Nelson Mandela School

• Newtown Nursery School

• Redhill Primary School

• St. Benedicts Infants

• St. James C E Primary School Handsworth

• Stanville Primary School

• Wheelers Lane Primary

• Worlds End Junior School

• Yardley Primary School

• Yardley Wood Community Primary School

• Yorkmead Junior & Infants School