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‘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.

Cass Roberts was part of the demonstration in Birmingham(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)

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.

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