Strike action at school partially suspended

Strike action at a school in Warwick has been partly suspended after the National Education Union (NEU) said it had secured concessions from the employer.

More than 40 staff joined a picket line, supported by parents, at Aylesford School on Thursday in a dispute over a restructure they said had been rushed through and risked "mass redundancies".

The union said that following negotiations on Friday, the school had agreed to a resolution action plan.

As a result, strike dates planned for Tuesday and Thursday have been suspended but members voted to keep three days of action next week in place. The school has been approached for comment.

The union said the decision to retain the threat of future action was put in place until "an outstanding staffing matter" is resolved.

However, it said the agreement included measures to reduce workload and a commitment to recognise the NEU.

The dispute began after staff said they were not meaningfully consulted on a restructure involving multiple redundancies.

The NEU said members had demanded written guarantees on workload, staffing levels and trade union recognition, as well as an apology for how the process had been handled.

Simon O'Hara, assistant branch secretary of Warwickshire NEU, said members had "won major concessions" following last week's strike.

"Our members have stood together in solidarity to oppose cuts to jobs, conditions and to the curriculum," he said.

"We genuinely believe Aylesford has a bright future, with state‑of‑the‑art facilities and great staff at both primary and secondary phases. We would encourage the local community to send their children to Aylesford. The staff there are simply phenomenal. They went on strike because they care."

NEU members are expected to meet by Friday to decide whether to suspend the remaining strike dates.

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