Schools Close as Durham teaching assistants strike
Nearly 100 primary schools across County Durham will be affected today and tomorrow as teaching assistants strike in a long-running dispute over cuts to their pay.
School support staff plan to protest at dozens of picket lines across the county over the two days. This will mean the closure of at least 37 schools completely and 76
The strike action follows a ballot over Durham County Council plans to move teaching assistants to term-time pay, which could see some staff lost up to 23% of their wages.
UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:
“The way these teaching assistants have been treated is nothing short of disgraceful. The number of schools closing as a result shows how strongly staff feel. They regret any disruption to parents but feel they have no other option.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way. It’s not too late for Durham to see the error of its ways, make a decent offer to our teaching assistants, and show it appreciates their immense contribution to schools, parents and communities.”
Unison have also authorised a national hardship fund to ensure that no teaching assistants on strike in Durham suffer financial hardship.
The fund, made up of an initial £150,000 will be administered by the union’s northern region.
Dave Prentis said:
“Any Durham teaching assistant needing financial support through this dispute will get it – from day one. Durham is a strategic dispute with a hostile employer. This national hardship fund shows the union is ready for the fight to come.”
John Hewitt, Durham County Council’s corporate director for resources, said:
“The education and wellbeing of our pupils is our primary concern and we know headteachers and governing bodies have worked hard to keep schools open and minimise disruption for young people and parents.
“From the outset we have been clear that this is not a position that we want to be in, but the legal advice is unequivocal - the status quo is not an option.
“There is a real and substantial risk from costly equal pay claims which are already materialising and which use teaching assistants as the comparator – most people are not paid for hours and weeks they don’t work – so addressing this is also an issue of fairness.
“We greatly value the work of teaching assistants and after 14 months of negotiations, including work with unions and ACAS, we made a final revised offer of two years compensation and which delayed the introduction of new terms until April 2019 - it is disappointing therefore that around 40% of TAs voted in favour of strike action.
“Though the deadline for our final offer has passed, and the offer has been withdrawn, we remain willing to talk with unions and staff should they wish to get back around the table and discuss accepting it.”
On Wednesday morning the teaching assistants plan to lobby a meeting of the county council.
For the latest, accurate information on which schools are affected, please direct people to www.durham.gov.uk/schoolclosures