Cathedral Schools Trust staff vote to strike over back pay

Support staff working for the Cathedral Schools Trust have voted overwhelmingly (92%) to strike in a dispute over pay, says UNISON today (Wednesday).

More than 100 teaching assistants, administrators, librarians, finance officers, caretakers and caterers will take action at schools across Bristol and north Somerset.

The workers have been missing out on hundreds of pounds every year because of their employer’s failure to implement annual pay awards when they are announced in April, says the union.

Instead, Cathedral Schools Trust has delayed these payments until the start of the school term in September, leaving staff without several months’ worth of pay increases compared to colleagues in other schools.

UNISON says the situation has been worsened by the trust’s ongoing refusal to adopt the nationally agreed National Joint Council (NJC) pay rates over the past 16 years.

Although the trust has for the first time implemented the pay rise when it was due in April, in line with other schools, it doesn’t make up for the many years in which staff were underpaid.

Staff are now demanding five years of back pay, alongside a commitment to adopt NJC pay and conditions in the future.

UNISON South West regional secretary Kerry Baigent said: “School support staff are the backbone of the education system. They support children’s learning and wellbeing every day.

“At long last, these workers have had a pay rise that’s been implemented on time, but that doesn’t undo the damage of the past. Staff have already lost thousands of pounds through delayed awards year after year.

“The Trust must do the right thing, pay the money back and commit to NJC pay rises so staff get the reward and respect they deserve.”

Teaching assistant Stephen, who works at St Werburgh’s Primary School, said: “Without the vital contribution of staff such as teaching assistants, mentors and office teams, schools in the trust simply couldn’t run.

“Their support is essential if children are to thrive. If the trust really values and respects the hard work and commitment of its staff, it must act now.”