Trade unions members and students have been out in the sunshine celebrating International Workers’ Day and the solidarity that brought about success in their campaign for women workers at the University of Birmingham.
The group of women workers, who are employed as cleaners and in commercial services, would have lost pay and some would have been forced to give up their jobs because of proposed changes to their contracts.
Regional organiser Dawn Sant said: “We are proud to stand together to celebrate International Workers’ Day, and doubly proud to be able to show that, by working together, we can make positive changes.
“UNISON, UNITE and UCU – with super support from students – have been successful in demonstrating to the university that, if implemented, its proposed changes to the terms and conditions of cleaners and those employed in commercial services would have given rise to equality issues.
“Most of the people who work in these departments are low-paid women who would have lost a significant amount of pay or even been forced to give up their job because of unworkable changes to their shift patterns.
“Both of these situations would have caused them and their families an immense amount of distress – they cannot afford less money or to become unemployed.
“We are delighted that the University of Birmingham was able to recognise the difficulties its proposals would have created and has seen fit to change them to reflect concerns expressed by staff”.
Vice president education (elect) of the Birmingham GUILD of students, Hattie Craig, added: “Support staff are the life blood of the university. These proposals would have affected the lowest-paid and most vulnerable staff who are disproportionately women, from ethnic minority groups and disabled.
“Staff have my full support and that of majority of students at the university.”
