BREAKING NEWS: 100% vote to end Term Time Pay in Schools
BREAKING NEWS: 100% of Barnet UNISON members working in Barnet Schools voted YES in a Poll to “End to Term-Time Pay in Schools”
The issue of Term Time Pay has reached the attention of national media in recent weeks as a result of a number of disputes of Teaching Assistants in Derby and Durham.
Last week “UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis left the TUC conference in Brighton to join the teaching assistants on Parliament Square.
He told them that all of UNISON’s 1.3 million members were behind them and said “these cuts are happening because of the cruel squeeze on finances from Westminster, as the government continues its austerity fuelled war on public services.”
He also said that how they have been treated by their council is a disgrace.” https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2016/09/derby-lobby/
The above report was addressed to the striking Derby Teaching Assistants who came down to the House of Commons to highlight the brutal impact of the 25% pay cut by their employer Derby City Council.
In Durham, Teaching Assistants are facing a 23% pay cut and whilst they are currently being balloted on an offer, the grassroots feedback is that it will be rejected.
The two disputes Derby & Durham have raised the profile for the launch of a wider campaign that has been needed for more than a decade.
In Barnet, UNISON are well aware of the dedication, hard work and unpaid hours that our members deliver to provide high quality education for children. In particular our members have played a critical role in delivering the inclusion agenda in schools which is something we should all be proud of.
The imposition of Term-Time Pay (TTP) openly discriminates against low paid female workers.
For those unfamiliar with TTP, it is not applicable to Teachers. Teachers are covered by a national agreement and whilst they do work term time only they are paid as full time employees.
However, in the case of the rest of staff working in schools they are not treated a full time employees hence TTP.
In Derby and Durham the teaching assistant are clearly not prepared to lose 25% without a fight.
Barnet UNISON members have confirmed through our Poll that they support the proposal that all staff working in a school should be treated equally with teachers as full time employees.
Recent developments:
In June 2016 at UNISON conference: “UNISON is to campaign for school workers across the UK to be employed during every week of the year, local government delegates in Brighton declared this afternoon.”
In July 2016 at the Durham Miners Gala Jeremy Corbyn gave an electrifying speech and took the opportunity in his speech to issue a message of solidarity for the Durham Teaching Assistants. “Get it sorted!” listen here https://youtu.be/wd8yZLcIFCs
In August 2016 Jeremy Corbyn issued a much more substantial message
“The government must fund teaching assistants every week of the year”
https://www.barnetunison.me.uk/wp/2016/08/30/jeremy-corbyn-pledge-to-end-term-time-pay-in-schools/
John Burgess, Barnet UNISON Branch Secretary said: “Now that Jeremy has been re-elected Leader of the Labour Party, now is the time to support the UNISON statement made at conference to “campaign for school workers across the UK to be employed during every week of the year.” We are asking all of our members, their family and friends to sign Petition to Prime Minister Theresa May to end Term Time Pay in Schools https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-end-term-time-pay-in-schools . We all agree in UNISON that Term Time Pay is discriminatory. Time for talking is over. Time for action is now. Solidarity.”