Birmingham is facing disruption today as more than a thousand school support workers, including teaching assistants, catering staff, and grounds maintenance workers, walk out in protest over ongoing equal pay disputes. 35 schools across the city are out in force, with many expected to close.
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00:00So today is the second day of industrial action over equal pay in the council.
00:04This has been going on for almost two decades now and these people that are
00:08here today they've had enough. They want to know that they're getting paid
00:11equally to the male-dominated areas of the council. They want to know that
00:15they're not being undervalued anymore.
00:17Here in Birmingham support staff including
00:20teaching assistants and catering workers have gathered to protest against the
00:24ongoing equal pay dispute with Birmingham City Council. The strike
00:28action is expected to affect schools across the city.
00:31So after the 14th of May industrial action, that day of action we had then, we
00:37were able to move forward a little bit with the council. We started having
00:40proper meetings and talking to them but that was three, four months ago. We
00:47should be much further along if we're having proper meaningful meetings and we
00:52need to see that soon.
00:53The workers are demanding progress on their pay claims
00:56which have been unresolved for months. The GMB union says delays by Birmingham
01:00City Council have pushed many to the brink, unable to keep up with the rising
01:05cost of living.
01:06For a lot of our girls they're running multiple jobs to make
01:09ends meet. They'll be cleaners, they'll be
01:14lunchtime supervisors, they'll work other jobs besides and they're
01:19having to do that to make ends meet and it's not fair.
01:22As the strike continues
01:24and so many schools face closure, the question remains what is the general
01:28reception of people across the city who have to deal with the disruption?
01:32Well I was out on a picket line protest at Colmore infants this morning and yeah
01:38we had people beeping their horns, we had the teachers as well waving and beeping
01:42their horns, parents as well saying keep on, keep going because the people of
01:47Birmingham are in a very precarious situation at the moment. All of these
01:50people work and live in Birmingham for the majority as well so they're feeling
01:54the cuts as much as anyone but they know that they're not being paid equally
01:57to people in other areas of the council.