Birmingham Local Conservatives express deep concern over the GMB Union’s announcement of a consultative vote on strike action regarding unresolved equal pay claims at Birmingham City Council. If staff vote for strike action this will see a further 3000 staff going on strike. Further escalating Labour's 6 months of strikes so far in 2025. This development underscores the Labour-run council’s failure to deliver on its promises to resolve the equal pay crisis, which has already contributed to the council’s effective bankruptcy in September 2023 and was created by their handling of the previous strike in 2017.
In December 2024, Labour Council Leader John Cotton announced a “framework agreement” with unions, including GMB, heralding it as a new era of industrial relations. Just two months later, in February 2025, he told BBC Radio WM, “This brings that whole matter of equal pay to a close. We’ve got a settlement agreement.” Yet, nearly two years after the council admitted its equal pay liability in June 2023 progress on settling claims has stalled and now GMB are threatening industrial action as a result of the lack of progress in finalising the settlement agreement Cllr Cotton claimed was resolved.
Cllr Robert Alden, Leader of the Conservative Group on Birmingham City Council, said:
For years, we have warned the Labour administration about their mishandling of the equal pay crisis, which has left Birmingham taxpayers facing a £760 million bill and a bankrupt council. It is heartbreaking that had they listened to our warnings at any point in the last 8 years much, if not all of this, could have been avoided. John Cotton’s claims of a ‘new era’ and a ‘closed matter’ ring hollow when GMB members are now balloting for strike action. His failure to meet his own deadlines continues to cost taxpayers dearly and they now look set to face even more disruption to services. Labour’s inaction is a disgrace, and we demand immediate steps to resolve these claims and close all remaining equal pay liabilities.
At the Full Council meeting on 17 June 2025, in response to a question from Cllr Alden on delays to equal pay, Cllr Cotton said "we have taken the steps that have brought forward a settlement agreement that settles equal pay" before going on to claim that other approaches would have resulted in chaos through industrial dispute.
Robert added
Only last month the leader was claiming they had ended Equal Pay and that the opposition were wrong to warn him that issues remained and the costs were at risk of climbing again. Sadly once again a Labour leader put bravado and protecting the labour brand before residents. Labour have failed the people of Birmingham and failed staff. They have shown they will not listen to the warnings of others and sadly Brummies will be left footing the bill for Labour's hubris for decades to come.
