Teaching assistants, catering staff and other workers at 35 Birmingham schools are to strike because of delays in settling equal pay claims.
The GMB union said the action would take place on 14 May, during Sats exam week, and stem from Birmingham City Council’s failure to make progress on the claims.
The local authority says it is committed to resolve the historic pay issues although talks with unions are said to have stalled.
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About 1,500 school support workers including grounds maintenance staff would take part in the action, said the GMB.
The council is trying to agree a new job and grading system that it hopes will lead to a resolution in the equal pay dispute.
The dispute relates to claims staff in female-dominated roles, such as teaching assistants, have historically been underpaid in relation to those in male-dominated areas of the council, such as waste collection.
Last September Birmingham council declared itself effectively bankrupt because of the claim of up to £760m and an £80m overspend on an IT system.
According to the council, the £760m was the “maximum potential liability” and the actual figure could be lower.
GMB organiser Alice Reynolds said: “Birmingham’s equal pay crisis only ends when council bosses’ hand back the wages they have stolen from women workers.
“Taking strike action is always a last resort, but these workers have had enough of council delays and broken promises,” she added.
The council said it had been talking with GMB leaders about equal pay since November 2021.
It said after the “further agreement” made with trade unions in October last year, it had begun work on “a new approach to job evaluation to settle Birmingham’s equal pay issues once and for all”.
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The authority said it was “keen to work together with GMB to explore solutions, as it remains committed to resolving historic equal pay issues and settling all legitimate claims from our employees”.
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