You do realise if we keep giving in and concentrating on the next negotiations we will be in the same position every year ? Come on think it through rationally. Where is your fight?

I agree. This is the 3rd year in a row now. What do the Unions hope to achieve by this useless stall tactic. Its inevitable that you will end up accepting the original offer. Just take it and let’s start 2025 negotiations.

Full respect ,Sir. If this country had more people like you we probably wouldn’t be in this mess

or they are actually doing something about our appalling wages? at the moment councils are struggling to employ because the wages are so behind the private sector. The government want people to think like you do so they can walk all over us

Simon, the whole world doesn’t revolve around you, These people pay a tidy sum to be in a Union and to be honest i am very appreciative of them saying no. The pittance we are being offered (2.5%) will surely not cripple you? Sometimes it is worth forgoing your own needs to get the best possible outcome, They may even get you more money out of it if they don’t give in. Just chill a little

I don’t see any real benefit from unions other than the bosses getting perks and the Labour Party receiving donations. It’s unfortunate that support workers in schools are misled into paying union dues, thinking the unions are working on their behalf, Unions are a farce.

In my view, unions aren’t always worth the money we pay them. I spoke with the Unison representative at my school after discovering that the Trust pays different rates for the same job at different schools. He told me that the Trust, as the employer, can set whatever pay rates they choose for similar positions at different schools. I said to him he ස් lked bo11oks, but he stuck to his position. Since his explanation seemed questionable, I contacted the Trust’s HR department. They initially said they would look into the issue, and a week or two later, they informed me that it was an error, and would be corrected, though not immediately but during the next review cycle. I have written responses from them confirming this.

At my school, three teaching assistants have left in the past few months, and another has switched to part-time, but there hasn’t been any rush to replace them. The departing staff gave a month’s notice, but the trust didn’t advertise their positions during that time. Now, the remaining TAs expect that job postings will appear in September, with recruitment not taking place until November. This means they are saving money equivalent to three and a half TA salaries. However, it seems they will only advertise for two TA positions, not three and a half. This pattern is common. Sometimes, the impact of staffing reductions is not immediately felt by the team losing members but is experienced elsewhere. For instance, another local school had to cut its two-person technician team to one in order to meet salary commitments for support staff over the past two years.

Ruth, teaching assistants have had their hours reduced as another way of reducing costs in schools up and down the country.