Primary school staff strike over pay cut proposal

2 hours ago

Grace McGroryin Scunthorpe

News image — School support staff at four schools have taken strike action over pay cuts and potential job losses

BBC / Grace McGrory The photo shows a group of people smiling for the photo. They're each holding vairous signs and purple flags which read UNISON on them. — School support staff at four schools have taken strike action over pay cuts and potential job losses

Staff at four primary schools have taken strike action over changes to pay and potential job losses.

Support workers at St Mary's Catholic Voluntary Academy in Brigg, St Bernadette's Catholic Primary in Scunthorpe, St Hugh's Catholic Primary in Lincoln and Sleaford's Our Lady of Good Counsel Primary walked out earlier.

According to union UNISON, the proposals by Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust could see some staff lose about 20% of their annual income, and leave others facing redundancy.

A trust spokesperson said plans to reshape staffing arrangements would be subject to a full consultation, and it would try to find savings through voluntary options where possible.

BBC / Charlotte Henderson The photo shows four women standing in front of the camera. They're all wearing purple tabards, and are holding various signs and purple flags which read UNISON on them. — Staff at Our Lady of Good Counsel Primary in Sleaford also staged a walk out

The trade union said the proposed changes could also result in heavier workloads for remaining workers.

It added that staff are also concerned about the impact that fewer support workers could have on pupils.

Teaching assistants, administrators and chaplaincy teams were among the staff which staged the walk outs.

Bernadette James, an early help lead at St Bernadette's in Scunthorpe, has worked at the school for 26 years.

"I think it's a very unique school and the senior leadership team here are amazing," she said.

"Unfortunately, the trust are asking us to take a pay cut for exactly the same job description.

"There'll be no change in our working day, but a fifth of our money will be gone. I can't afford to live on that and it means I will have to lose.

"None of the support staff wanted [the strikes] to impact parents. We care deeply about the children and the families, but it just shows how crucial our jobs are."

BBC / Grace McGrory The photo shows two women smiling at the camera. The woman on the left is wearing a navy jacket and sunglasses. She has short brown hair. The woman on the left is wearing a red jacket, cream scarf, and sunglasses. She also has short brown hair. They're standing in front of school gate, and there are various purple flags which read 'UNISON' behind them. — Angela Foster (left) and Bernadette James (right) were both on the picket line in Scunthorpe

Matt Kelly, UNISON branch secretary for North Lincolnshire, said: "There are massive implications for staff - significant pay cuts, as well as risks of redundancy, for an issue that we think could have been handled potentially a lot better.

"It's difficult to see people going through this, but it's really nice to see the parents coming in and supporting the staff they see doing a good job for their children."

A spokesperson for the trust said they recognised how "unsettling" the situation would be for staff and they would be provided support throughout the consultation.

They added: "Like many schools and trusts across the country, we are experiencing cuts in funding that are creating significant pressures.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to educate our young people, we have set out proposals to reshape staffing arrangements in these schools and within our central services.

"We continue to engage with union representatives and other stakeholders to ensure our discussions remain constructive and transparent."

The strike is due to continue on Wednesday.

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