Clive Walder, Birmingham South Socialist Parry
Teachers and support staff in the National Education Union (NEU) at Benson Community School in Birmingham are on strike for the third time over management’s bullying and excessive workloads. On the previous occasions, management have made an agreement with the union only to break it. This time, the workers struck for seven days from 7 November.
To date, there has been no attempt by the school to settle the dispute, only to tell the striking staff to wait and see what new management will do when they take over at the beginning of next term.
The workers are adamant that they won’t back down. Their action has helped give confidence to NEU members at another Birmingham school, George Dixon Primary, to take strike action over academisation.
