A breakthrough for Durham Teaching Assistants in Pay-Change row

Another step forward in Durham Teaching Assistants fight against pay-changes

After months of strikes and protests, over council plans to fire and rehire the TA staff, a revised offer has been proposed by the Council,

Trade unions are calling on their members to support the new plans, when they go out to ballot on Monday, Unison have welcomed the proposals;

UNISON Northern regional secretary Clare Williams said: “Several months of tough talking later, a revised and improved offer has been proposed that will benefit the majority of teaching assistants.

“Strikes and relentless campaigning by dedicated teaching assistants, along with the support of the community have been crucial in moving the council from its original position.

"Dismissing, rehiring and cutting the pay of so many education professionals would have risked many quitting their jobs. That would have had a huge impact in the classroom.

“Both sides have worked hard to reach agreement over the past few months. The union is absolutely committed to continuing to work with the council to secure the best possible outcome for everyone.”

In summary, the paper highlights that at the end of the compensation period and following the introduction of new job descriptions and grading structure, 78 per cent of the 2,168 teachings assistants are now forecast to receive an increase in pay. Around 20 per cent of teaching assistants may see a reduction in pay, depending on how many hours and weeks they work and the grade they are employed at. Approximately 1.2 per cent of teaching assistants are forecast to see a reduction of more than 10 per cent and it has been agreed by all parties that this group will be the focus of continued work in support of offering them future staff development opportunities. The grades and pay scales are based on qualifications, duties and responsibilities. Pay is linked to grade, hours and weeks worked.

Durham County Council’s corporate director of resources, John Hewitt, said:

“Throughout this process we have been clear that we have to address the equal pay risk in relation to hours and weeks worked by teaching assistants, but we have also listened carefully to issues raised.

“It’s important to say that we could not have got to this point without significant good will and hard work by the recognised trade unions, head teachers and the teaching assistants themselves and I would like to commend this partnership working.

“Together we have done exactly what we promised to do back in December. It’s been an incredibly complex task which required aligning each teaching assistant to the new roles that have been developed and the specific circumstances in each school.

“The outcome of this work is that the vast majority of teaching assistants will see an improvement in their financial position. No-one has had their pay reduced at this stage and the proposals will ensure that no teaching assistant will see any reduction during the two year compensation period if they work the hours offered.

“We also recognise that there will still be some TAs who may see a reduction once that two year compensatory period is over, and we will therefore continue to work with the unions with a real focus on this group. Together we will look at a wide range of workforce development options to see if we can provide some further opportunities for career progression.

“Our continued joint approach will be vital in achieving this.