.png)
|
National Education Union East Midlands Press Release Contact Nick Raine:- 07815795854 Email:- nick.raine@neu.org.uk
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
IMMEDIATE
1st July 2024
Derbyshire school staff to strike against QEGSMAT’s attack on lowest paid staff
Staff in the National Education Union (NEU) at City of Derby Academy, Chellaston Academy in Derby and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Ashbourne, will strike on Tuesday 9th, Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th July against the Trusts’ attack on its lowest paid staff.
Support staff at the three schools do vital work supporting the learning of pupils, often for low pay. Staff, who are paid a fraction of the salary of the trusts’ self-styled ‘CEO’ Anne Martin, have seen their pay eroded even further. QEGSMAT have taken the unusual step of enforcing a new date for pay uplift which has meant that the lowest paid workers have to wait five months for a cost of living pay rise compared to staff in other Derbyshire schools. The Trust enforced this without consultation with the NEU. Low paid and often vulnerable staff felt pressured into signing new trust contracts and weren’t aware that this would mean they would have to wait five months for a cost of living rise that was awarded to support staff in other Derbyshire schools.
There is already a crisis in the recruitment of vital support staff as low pay that has been further eroded has seen staff leave for better paid jobs in supermarkets or relying on foodbanks to get their families through each month. Staff at all three Derbyshire schools value the vital work these support staff members do with the schools’ pupils and were shocked at the trusts’ harsh treatment of them. After the Trust refused to pay its employees in line with other schools, staff decided they had to take a stand and let parents and the communities they serve know the shabby way they have been treated.
Last week, the Trust sent out misleading letters to parents and carers that gave the impression that staff at QEGSMAT schools were asking for their pay early. This is factually incorrect. Staff are simply asking for their pay to be awarded in the same way and at the same time as staff in other Derbyshire schools. The Trust has stated that ‘employees are benefiting from this years’ pay uplift 5 months early’. This is misleading parents. The Trust decided to put the pay uplift back by 5 months and staff are simply asking for the date to be in line with national pay and with that in other Derbyshire schools. Staff are also requesting that the loss in pay they have suffered as a result is finally paid to them. The Trust has refused to agree to this reasonable request and has made no attempt to negotiate on this issue to avert the strike action that they knew was coming.
QEGSMAT Trust have not met with the NEU recently and staff at the schools are also concerned that the Trust is considering a merger with Djanogoly Learning Trust, an academy trust based in Nottingham which is known to have teacher contracts vastly different to those of other teachers in similar schools. Staff are very concerned that the current crisis at the schools is the start of a wholesale erosion of terms and conditions in the Derbyshire schools which may well affect both staff retention and pupil attainment.
The National Education Union remains committed to resolving this dispute without strike action and is happy to negotiate with the Trust to seek a swift resolution.
Kieran Picken of City of Derby NEU said:-
“Staff at Ashbourne, City of Derby and Chellaston are committed, dedicated professional, and passionate about their schools and the pupils they teach. The roles that low paid support staff do are vital to pupils and their attainment. They have waited two years for QEGSMAT to treat them in the same way that support staff are in other schools. They’ve suffered real financial hardship and loss over two long years but have still come in every day to serve the pupils and communities they work in. QEGSMAT need to accept they have treated these staff poorly and pay them in line with support staff in other Derbyshire schools. It’s the least they can do.”
Nick Raine, NEU Senior Regional Officer, East Midlands said:-
“Staff at all three schools are dedicated professionals working hard for their pupils day in day out. It’s laudable that they have made a stand to support the lowest paid colleagues in their schools. They are simply asking to be treated in the same way as colleagues in other Derbyshire Schools. It’s shocking to see letters sent to parents that are misleading. The schools are run by a distant Trust that refuses to accept its treatment of staff is shabby. They are currently refusing to negotiate a settlement. Staff, pupils and the community these schools serve, deserve better. The NEU remains committed to avoiding strike action and negotiating a solution that recognises the vital job support staff do for wages that are often too low and have been paid way too late.”
There will be pickets, leafleting of communities and events at all three schools on Tuesday 9th, Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th July. The NEU is considering issuing further dates of strike action should the Trust continue to refuse to negotiate a fair settlement for its lowest paid staff.
ENDS
Contact Nick Raine:- 07815795854
Email:- nick.raine@neu.org.uk
www.twitter.com @NEUEastMidlands
|
|
|
● The National Education Union is the largest education union in Derby, Derbyshire, the UK and Europe. The NEU stands up for the future of education. It brings together the voices of more than 450,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff and leaders working in maintained and independent schools and colleges across the UK, to form the largest education union in Europe.
● It is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing its members in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
● The National Education Union is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). It is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.
www.neu.org.uk
www.facebook.com/NationalEducationUnion
www.twitter.com/NEUnion
Comments
Post a Comment