The GMB, Unison, and the other council workers’ trades unions, have named Tuesday 26th February as the next day of strike action against the proposed pay cuts that many are facing if Birmingham Council’s plans for Single Status contracts come into effect at the beginning of April.
The first day of action was Tuesday 5th February, causing 120 schools in Birmingham to close - three of them (Topcliffe, Pegasus and Chivenor) in Castle Vale. Other council run amenities, including the Neighbourhood Office, the Astral Centre and the Library, closed for the day. Bin collection schedules were also affected - this latest strike action, like the first, will take place on a Tuesday.
February 26th has been chosen to draw attention to a Council meeting at which the proposed 1.9% council tax increase is being discussed. On the one hand, most city residents will be pleased to face such a small increase. On the other, it means that the council will have to tighten its purse strings even further, and this may have an effect on quality of services, or more relevantly for the strikers, on the council’s ability to offer an alternative to their proposed Single Status pay deal.
A spokesperson for GMB told Vale Mail today: ” The strike seems bound to go ahead. 4,000 employees face pay cuts.The employer has put forward no alternative suggestions whatsoever.”
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