Birmingham braced for school strikes

Council’s delay to settling equal pay claims to blame.

GMB Union has today announced that workers at Birmingham City Council have voted in favour of supporting strike action.

The outcome comes as Council bosses have been slammed for delaying the settlement of equal pay claims made by low paid women workers at the council.

Workers at thirty-five city schools have voted to back the action, with 96 per cent supporting industrial action.

Strike dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Alice Reynolds, GMB Organiser, said:

“Almost a year since Council bosses admitted an equal pay bill as high as £760 million, not one single women worker has received the money they're owed

"Birmingham City Council owe GMB members money after years of stolen wages, the equal pay crisis only ends when our members claims are settled.

“This is no longer about sending messages; workers are now taking matters into their own hands.

“Birmingham’s schools cannot run without our members and this strike action will have a huge impact.

"Council bosses are fast running out of time to fix this."

Birmingham Schools where GMB members have voted to back strike action 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