WOLVERHAMPTON NURSERY NURSES & TEACHING ASSISTANTS REJECT SCHOOLS PROPOSALS

The GMB, the union representing thousands of school support staff across the UK, has today announced the results of a ballot of members working within Wolverhampton schools. This ballot follows concerns over proposals by the City Council to introduce new pay and career structures for school support staff.

The GMB is concerned that the new deal, which introduces Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs), does not have safeguards to protect them from being used as ‘teachers on the cheap’. Additionally, where Teaching Assistants are utilised to cover supervise classes in the absence of teachers, there would be no recognition of this reflected in their pay.

Members have voted almost unanimously to reject the proposals tabled by the authority.

Wolverhampton School Support Staff voted as follows:

Q. Are you prepared to accept or reject the proposed Career & Pay Structure?

Accept 2% Reject 98%

The union has written to the City Council in order to relay the result and to call for further negotiations with Education Chiefs.

Rob Kelsall, GMB Union said “This announcement comes as no surprise given that School Support Staff throughout Wolverhampton have been kept in the dark by the Education department throughout the review. Our members are unhappy that their concerns regarding proposed pay levels and in particular, lack of safeguards for the profession have been ignored”.

For further information or comment, please contact Rob Kelsall on 0121 550 4888.

Back to Home Page