Ninety teaching staff at a SEND school in the Black Country, who say they have been pushed to the edge, are expected to walk out next week. Teachers, teaching assistants, and catering staff at The Orchard in Causeway Green Road, Oldbury, will begin strike action on Tuesday, June 2, citing safety concerns at the school.
Staff are reportedly furious after school bosses failed to respond to concerns about student and staff safety at the facility. The GMB Union stated that workers had been pushed to the edge in the face of serious problems at the school.
Strike Action and Protest
Up to 90 members of staff are expected to strike on June 2, following overwhelming support for industrial action in a recent ballot. A protest will be held outside Sandwell Council House in Oldbury to mark the first day of strike action. The strike is a joint action between GMB, the union for school support staff, and teaching union NASUWT.
Union Statement
GMB organiser Rachel Fagan said: From unreported health and safety violations to missed pay packets, these school workers have been pushed to the edge and forced to take action. Now workers are standing up to do what is right by them and the students they care for. We have written to Sandwell’s new leadership to demand they take action in the face of a growing list of serious problems at the school. This strike action will send a clear and loud message that Sandwell’s school workers will not be taken for granted.
Sandwell Council has been approached for comment.
