Support-staff unions threaten industrial action over pay

Unions representing more than 500,000 school staff have threatened potential industrial action over what they warn has been a “lack of meaningful progress” on pay.

GMB, Unison and Unite have written to education secretary Bridget Phillipson to express “profound concern” about the direction of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB).

The unions said the current pace of negotiations was putting confidence in the process at “serious risk”, and warned they could escalate their response “publicly and industrially” if progress is not made.

The body will be responsible for the terms and conditions for school support staff - including teaching assistants, dinner staff and caretakers - covering annual leave and working days during the school year.

‘Goodwill is being exhausted’

In the joint letter, the unions said they had campaigned “extensively over many years” for the SSSNB to be re-established to address “deep-rooted inequalities, fragmentation and inconsistency” experienced by support staff across England.

The SSSNB was previously established under the last Labour government but was abolished by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition when it came into power in 2010.

The Employment Rights Act, which received royal assent in December, paved the way for the reinstatement of the SSNB. Tes first revealed Labour’s plan to re-establish the body.

The government said the first outcomes from the SSSNB will happen in the 2027-28 financial year at the earliest.

Support staff had expected the process to deliver national reform, better collective bargaining and improvements in pay structures, progression and recognition, the letter to Ms Phillipson said.

However, the letter from the unions said the current trajectory was “rapidly exhausting the goodwill that existed when the SSSNB was re-established”.

They said they were “extremely disappointed” to be told at an SSSNB working group meeting on 20 May that the body’s remit in its first year would be “very limited”.

They also raised concerns that there would be no progress on national job evaluation and role profiles in this Parliament, warning that this could lead to “potential equal pay issues”.

Union demands

The unions have called for a clear commitment that staff will transfer into the SSSNB with their existing pay spine and pay structure protected.

They have also demanded immediate work on national role profiles and a transparent job evaluation framework, as well as assurances that recognised trade unions will be fully involved in decisions on the future framework.

The letter said the unions “remain committed to constructive engagement” and would prefer to resolve the issues through partnership with government.

But it added: “Should meaningful progress continue to be absent, we will have no option but to escalate our response publicly and industrially, including at upcoming conferences over the summer period.”

The DfE has been contacted for comment.