Louise Nousratpour
Tuesday February 5, 2008
The Morning Star
OVER 20,000 Birmingham City Council workers walked out on Tuesday in a row over an imposed pay scheme that could lead to staff wages being cut in half.
Members of public-sector unions UNISON, Unite, GMB and UCATT took part in the 24-hour strike, which closed more than 80 schools, major city council buildings, libraries, museums and other local services.
Union officials said that refuse collections, grave-digging and meat-testing services were also affected by the strike.
More than 5,000 strikers staged a noisy protest outside the Birmingham City Council offices in Victoria Square.
The rally was addressed by all the general secretaries of the unions involved.
UNISON regional organiser Anita Edwards, speaking at the rally, described the event as "brilliant."
Ms Edwards said: "Workers are angry at council leaders' refusal to meet our demand for a fair and equal settlement.
"We want employers to negotiate a proper deal with us, not impose unreasonable pay structures."
The strike followed the failure of last-ditch talks at the weekend, which union officials blamed on the employers' "sheer bloody-mindedness."
The Conservative-dominated council, which is the biggest unitary authority in Britain, plans to sack its entire workforce and re-employ them on inferior contracts.
The new pay and grading review, which could be imposed by the end of March, was supposed to bring about equal pay for some 40,000 workers.
But union officials warned that it would instead leave thousands of council staff - mainly women - losing between £1,000 and £18,000, with 4,000 facing a basic pay cut.
Many manual workers could see their pay halved, although some managers' salaries will be bolstered by more than £2,000.
Birmingham City Council chief executive Stephen Hughes claimed that 45 per cent of the workers would receive a "considerable increase."
Ms Edwards rejected the claim, noting: "The gains Mr Hughes is referring to are very small - in the region of a couple of pounds a week.
"Many low-paid women will see their pay cut by thousands of pounds a year. This is not fair," Ms Edwards said.
GMB regional organiser Dominic Hinks said that the strike was "very well supported and has had a massive effect on services.
"Members are sending a strong message that they are not prepared to accept the imposed pay structure," Mr Hinks said.
"Council leaders would do well to listen or there will be more days of action announced," the GMB official warned.
UNISON West Midlands regional secretary Valerie Broom warned that the new pay scheme would only increase wage inequalities between male and female workers at Birmingham Council.
"It is an absolute disgrace that Birmingham City Council is seeking to cut its wage bill while disguising this odious scheme as an attempt to bring about equality for women within the workplace," the UNISON official stormed.
Ms Broom expressed the unions' frustration with council leaders' refusal to negotiate.
"Although officials from UNISON, Unite and GMB have worked over the weekend in an attempt to sort this matter out, the sheer bloody-mindedness of the council has meant that talks have failed to reach a conclusion."
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