Teaching Assistants from Derby and Durham held a strike yesterday Wednesday 14^th September over plans to change their contracts which will result in a loss of up to £6,000 a year in pay. Plans to only pay Teaching Assistants during term-time has sparked outrage leading members of Unison to walk out and lobby MPs in Westminster. Unison said unlike teachers, many assistants only get paid during term time following more Government spending cuts. Durham County Council said many other councils had adopted term-time only pay and it was fair to pay staff for the hours that they actually worked. Derby City Council say budgets are under pressure and they have no alternative but to implement the plan. This latest strike is a major blow to an already fragile industry that is facing its biggest challenges of expansion of grammar schools. In the way that teachers are paid, the union wants assistants to be also paid during the holidays.  

Teachers are one of the lowest paid workers yet their role is invaluable. Even during the holiday, teachers and teaching assistants do not stop working; from lesson planning, marking, putting together classroom displays to preparing for the new term they are always working round the clock putting the needs of their pupils first even though it costs them their own time.  

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "School support staff are among the UK's lowest paid workers, yet they are paying the price of continued Government spending cuts. "The squeeze on finances from Westminster means that councils are operating within a financial straitjacket, but penalising some of the lowest paid workers in society is quite simply the wrong decision.”
"The impact on family budgets will be huge and could mean people end up in debt and relying on benefits. Teachers couldn't teach without teaching assistants, and parents - who know only too well the value of the work they do - will be horrified at the way they are being treated. These employees deserve much better.” "When Theresa May became Prime Minister, she said her Government would be driven by the interests of ordinary working class families. If that's true, she should start by calling time on spending cuts and start funding our public services properly. Then councils wouldn't have to hammer low-paid school staff."  

In a letter last week Derby City Council chief executive Paul Robinson said the council had met with Unison several times to try to end the dispute.  “Let us be clear we are not blaming the trade unions for not reaching an agreement.”
“We appreciate that there are some aspects of the package that the trade unions did not agree with, however unfortunately we saw no option other than to implement it…”

“We have met with Unison several times to try to end this dispute and we have put additional money on the table, money which is in very short supply.”   For now this is a regional matter, only time will tell if this becomes a national epidemic in an industry that’s already suffering. Many teachers have already taken a 40% of NQTs left the teaching profession before even starting. Could this latest fiasco lead to more teachers and teaching assistants leaving the industry altogether?  

There is another route teaching assistants can undertake and that is register your details and we will be in touch.