School support staff win financial settlement as Cathedral Schools Trust pay dispute ends

Support staff at Cathedral Schools Trust have secured a financial settlement after four days of strike action across Bristol and North Somerset, says UNISON today (Tuesday).

Teaching assistants, administrators, librarians, finance officers, caretakers and caterers took industrial action earlier this month in a long-running dispute over pay.

Staff said they had been underpaid for years because the trust failed to implement the annual pay rise from the nationally agreed date of 1 April, and instead delayed it until September. This left the lowest-paid workers short of thousands of pounds.

UNISON, the union for school support staff, led the dispute and entered Acas talks with the trust.

An agreement was reached that ensures all future pay awards will be implemented from 1 April and includes a financial settlement recognising the money staff lost during previous years of delayed awards, says the union.

UNISON says it will continue to work with Cathedral Schools Trust to ensure the agreement is implemented in full and partnership working is strengthened in 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.

“This is a huge win for staff across Cathedral Schools Trust. It delivers the fair treatment workers have been fighting for and shows exactly what workers can achieve through strong collective action.

“The constructive approach taken by the trust in reaching this agreement is to be welcomed.”

Teaching assistant Stephen, who works at St Werburgh’s Primary School, said: “Support staff took action because we’d been underpaid and undervalued for years.

“Standing together in UNISON made all the difference, and the support from teachers across the trust has been invaluable. This settlement proves the power of collective action and the importance of being in a union that recognises and represents support staff.”