‘Years of stolen wages’: School strikes loom across Brum
‘Years of stolen wages’: School strikes loom across Brum
Plus: Andy Street’s pre-election pizzeria trip
Dear Patchers — welcome to your Monday briefing.
The Dispatch has got its ears close to the ground ahead of next week’s mayoral clash between Andy Street and Richard Parker. And while we love hard analysis, we’re also partial to a bit of political gossip and interesting snippets of overheard conversations.
With that in mind, we were in earshot a few nights back as Street enjoyed a dinner out with Michael Fabricant and a friend at Pasta Di Piazza in Acocks Green after a hustings event. “If I win it will be in spite of them and not because of them,” Street was heard saying. Intriguing stuff. Any further sightings of local politicians feasting on quattro stagionis are always welcome.
Our weekend read revisited journalist Chris Mullin’s groundbreaking investigation which helped to free the wrongly imprisoned Birmingham Six. Mullin not only blew a hole in the evidence against the innocent men who were jailed for the 1974 pub bombings, he actually tracked down the four people responsible for the crimes. Read our piece if you haven’t already.
What’s coming up? As attention turns to the upcoming mayoral election, many readers will be very familiar with the incumbent, reluctant Tory Andy Street (a frequent name in these esteemed pages) but much less is known about his Labour counterpart: Richard Parker. Until now, that is. We’ll be giving you the lowdown on the man seeking to topple Street and become the region’s new big fish — but you’ll need to be signed up to read that one.
That’s not all either. We’ve also something for those of you who don’t look forward to the West Midlands mayoral election with the kind of uncontrollable anticipation that greets a new Taylor Swift album. An interview with Jim Ottewill, the author of a best selling book about rave culture with a brand new chapter all about Birmingham (glow sticks at the ready) and a piece by history buff Jon Neale, who asks: could it be time to cancel Birmingham icon Joseph Chamberlain?
Finally, a reminder that while much of what we publish is free to access, to read all of our stories (like the upcoming Richard Parker story) you will need to become a paying member. We aren’t being mean — it’s just that journalism costs money to do properly. If you like what we do and can afford it, please join The Dispatch!
Weather
☁️Tuesday: Barely a glimpse of sun. Cloud cover all day. Max 12°C.
☁️Wednesday: Another day of monotone cloud cover. Max 11°C.
🌧️Thursday: More springlike: sun and showers on and off. Max 11°C.
🌧️Friday: A damp end to the week, with more rain as the day progresses. Max 13°C.
🌦️Weekend: Rain all weekend, though on Saturday there is some sun. Max 14°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
The big story: ‘Years of stolen wages’: School strikes loom across Brum
Top line: Strikes are set to hit schools across Birmingham in the coming weeks. The GMB union announced that Birmingham City Council workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action — including members at 35 schools, where 96 per cent supported industrial action. The union is calling on the council to settle with members who have made equal pay claims, citing “years of stolen wages”.
Context: Of the three unions representing workers at the council, GMB has the most members. It is also the only union with live pay claims against the council. The very mention of “equal pay” and “Birmingham City Council” together might get hairs standing on end. You don’t need too long a memory of BCC lore to recall last June, when finance chief’s announced the authority could owe up to £760m to discriminated workers in June last year.
That equal pay debate was identified as a key reason why the council had to issue a Section 114 in September which led to commissioners being appointed.
Back to the future: To stop future equal pay claims mounting, the council needs to rejig something called a job evaluation scheme. This ensures that different roles within the organisation are fairly graded and will stop a situation where a woman working in a role at the same grade as a man might end up receiving less money, despite having similar or identical responsibilities.
GMB, Unite and UNISON agreed to such a scheme in October. However, there is still the issue of outstanding claims that have already been made. GMB is adamant that the council needs to pay up. They say the council is avoiding the issue by delaying talks.
GMB has published the full list of the 35 schools that will be affected by the strikes on their website. The dates will be announced in the next few weeks.
Public reaction:
Harjinder Kaur-Aujla, parent of primary-school aged children and member of the Birmingham Trade Union Council (BTUC) said school workers “make a real difference” to the lives of children. “The inability to pay these workers’ properly should be a concern of every parent and they could extend their support in solidarity,” she added.
Posting on Twitter/X when the vote was announced last month, NHS worker Nicola said it was “unacceptable” to interrupt young people’s education when exams were approaching. “It's not their fault the council have done this,” she added.
Time’s up: In a statement, GMB organiser Alice Reynolds said workers were “taking matters into their own hands” and the strike “would have a huge impact”. She warned: "Council bosses are fast running out of time to fix this."
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council insisted they have been working with GMB members on equal pay matters since 2021. They added:
“The council would encourage GMB to explore solutions working together, as it remains committed to resolving historic equal pay issues, and settling all legitimate claims from our employees.”
Bottom line: News of school strikes on the horizon will be hard to stomach — the city is going through a hard time as it is. But workers who have made equal pay claims and are stuck in limbo will understandably be feeling frustrated. The Dispatch will be following closely to see if the unions and the council can reach an agreement that everyone is happy with.
Photo of the week
Local photographer Mac McCreery has taken this monochrome shot of Birmingham’s Central Library, with Broad St reflected in the building’s fascia. A timely snap, Mac’s photo was taken as pressure groups ramp up their campaigns to save libraries in the face of council cuts.
Brum in brief
👮♀️Prison ‘chic’: An advert for a studio flat in the old Dudley police station has gone viral for including an original holding cell made of metal bars inside. Taylors Estate and Lettings Agents, who listed the property, said it had “attracted a lot of interest” and that they expected its future tenant to “have a lot of fun” showing off the feature.
💔 Cov’s FA Cup heartbreak: Coventry City’s FA Cup run came up just short as they lost to Manchester United on penalties in their semi-final. The Championship side were 3-0 down with just 30 minutes left of normal time when they staged a heroic comeback against the Premier League giants to draw level. In extra time, they almost won the game with a last-minute goal that was controversially disallowed. Sadly, the footballing Gods decided to be massive killjoys. The Sky Blues eventually lost on penalties.
👮 Stephen Lawrence tribute from PCC: Simon Foster, Birmingham’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has made tribute to Stephen Lawrence 31 years since he was murdered in a racially motivated attack. The death of Lawrence sparked an inquest into racist attitudes in the police and how this impacted public service.
💷 Wheels site ‘cut-price’ deal: Birmingham Live has has revealed that the £51m price that Birmingham City Football Club paid for Bordesley Park ‘Wheels’ site is £30m less than a previous offer. Two years ago a developer offered £81m for the site but the City will receive nothing more than £60m (the maximum the current £51m deal can rise to) with the Council defending the cut-price sale saying it “got the best market value” available. Conservative leader Robert Alden said the deal is “very concerning”. All the details.
Home of the week
This three bed end-of-terrace home in Kings Norton has some lovely details like a Victorian fireplace and a slipper bath. It’s available now for £330,000.
Media picks
📰Birmingham arts have continued to garner media attention this week, with Tradfolk choosing Birmingham for the first edition of their Folk Cities series — covering everything from Birmingham’s outlawed ballad singers, to present-day folk sessions and sing-arounds.
🎨 Brighten up your afternoon with this story about The Colour Palette Company, brainchild of Birmingham artist Stacey Barnfield. His Birmingham pantone, featuring Sabbath Black and Mr Egg yellow, went viral during lockdown in 2021 leading to demands from around the country for similar treatment. The palettes have even been blown up and displayed in prominent locations, like at railway stations. Barnfield said: "I love seeing people stopping, taking a look and learning a bit more about an area."
Things to do
Tuesday
🎨 If it only takes two days of the working week to have you reaching for the wine, why not combine that with a paint brush at The Alchemist’s ‘Sip & Paint’ event. For £35 there are drinks, painting materials and a chance to meet others at this Van Gogh-themed painting party.
🎭 Debuting this week is the latest work of 5-star director Iqbal Khan. His play SILENCE is on at The Rep and explores the 1947 partition of India. Book here.
Wednesday
😆 Iceland’s best-known standup comedian (and apparent first-ever Netflix star) comes to Birmingham’s Glee Club on Wednesday to discuss presidential connections and living on “a frozen rock”. Book via website.
🎤 Multi-Grammy award-winning Boyz II Men hit Birmingham on the latest part of their European tour. Readers of The Dispatch might remember 1990s ballad ‘End of the Road’ — an undeniable classic. Tickets here.
Thursday
💬 At the University of Birmingham’s Exchange Building in Centenary Square, New York Times best-selling author Keith Boykin will be discussing racism, the myths that surround race, and how to refute them. Further info here.
🕯️ Queen fans can head down to The Botanical Gardens for a candlelit concert with classics from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ to ‘Killer Queen’. It all kicks off at 6pm. More information at a click.
‘and that they expected its future tenant to “have a lot of fun” showing off the feature’…
…now who wouldn’t have fun with a dungeon in their home?