Primary school strike action postponed, says union

Staff at a primary school have called off a planned strike over what they described as a "toxic management culture of fear and bullying".

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) who work at May Park Primary School in Eastville, Bristol, had planned to take six days of industrial action starting next Tuesday.

TheNEU has now confirmedthat the action has been postponed and the school will remain open as planned.

Ted Powell, NEU Regional Officer, said the union was "pleased" the school had "shown how serious they are taking members' concerns" by making a new offer.

"We will now be discussing this with our members, and hopefully, further negotiations mean that we can resolve this dispute without members having to take strike action," he added.

The NEU alleges that school management employs "racist tropes" and claims that black members of staff are subject to "undue scrutiny" in comparison to other colleagues.

They also allege that behaviour by some of the school's leadership had led to a "complete lack of trust" among its members at the school and say that the employer's response when the issues have been raised is "not sufficient".

May Park Primary School said that it is aware of the concerns raised and takes them "extremely seriously".

Responding to the news of the postponed strike action, the school said that they were "committed to providing a safe, calm and supportive environment for all pupils and staff."

They said that they "continue to engage in discussions with the NEU to resolve the situation," and that the school "is guided by a strong, inclusive ethos grounded in respect and professionalism, which is reflected in its policies, leadership practices and the support available to staff".

A spokesperson for the union said: "By delaying strike action, the NEU is showing that it wants to try and resolve this dispute without the need to disrupt the learning of children at May Park Primary School.

"Hopefully the employer will respond to this by resolving to members' satisfaction the very serious concerns that they have raised."

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