School support staff strike again over pay

2 hours ago

Caroline GallWest Midlands

The trust, which runs St Nicholas CE First School, Birches First School and Codsall Middle School in the village near Wolverhampton, has said it is "facing significant financial pressures"

Getty Images A young girl is walking out of her front door with her mother behind her. She has a red jumper on and her mother has a stripey top on. Furniture in the hall area is white/cream. — The trust, which runs St Nicholas CE First School, Birches First School and Codsall Middle School in the village near Wolverhampton, has said it is "facing significant financial pressures"

School support staff are taking strike action in a dispute over pay which they claim could see some salaries cut by 22%.

The National Education Union (NEU) said members at Codsall Multi-Academy Trust in south Staffordshire were striking on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

It follows previous action on 11 June and comes as the union says progress in negotiations with school bosses is "still limited".

The trust said it recognised the strength of feeling among some staff, but it was facing significant financial pressures and had to consider difficult proposals to secure the long-term sustainability of the schools.

The trust runs three sites in Codsall, near Wolverhampton - St Nicholas CE First School, Birches First School and Codsall Middle School.

The proposed changes to teaching assistant and other support staff contracts would see some lose up to 22% of their salary, meaning they would be expected to do the same job for less pay, the union said.

One member of staff told the union they had been "living with the uncertainty" of whether they "would still be able to provide" for their family, the NEU reported.

Rebecca Cann, Staffordshire NEU branch secretary, said: "School funding is in crisis across the country, meaning that many academy trusts find themselves in deficit.

"This is leading to restructures and redundancies mainly affecting teaching assistants.

"Our members at Codsall work most closely with pupils with additional needs and feel incredibly devalued by this process.

"We hope that further progress can be made on pay protection and job evaluation."

The trust said it respected people's right to take lawful industrial action.

"We fully recognise that the proposed changes may have a financial impact for some colleagues, and this is not something the trust has approached lightly.

"We have engaged with staff and recognised trade unions throughout the consultation process, listened to feedback, and put forward a three-year transitional protection arrangement to support those affected."

The trust remained open to constructive discussions, it added, while minimising disruption for children and families.

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