Ballot System Implemented For New Deal

A union representing school support staff has announced that it will ballot members on whether to accept a pay deal worth £1,925.

 

The GMB union is set to ballot more than 100,000 workers – including school staff – over the proposed offer from local government employers. The ballot opens today and will close on 21 October.

 

If members reject the deal, the union has said it will consult with its reps on what steps to take next. Last month, local authority employers offered school support staff a flat pay rise of £1,925. At the time, unions representing support staff said they would consider the offer.

 

This latest ballot will give staff the chance to have their say on whether they think the pay deal is acceptable. The results of the ballot will be announced on 22 October.

 

According to the BBC, the GMB union has said that its members are \”angry and frustrated\” at the pay offer on the table. It is not clear what action the union will take if its members reject the deal.

 

The government has said that it is \”disappointing\” that some unions are rejecting the pay offer, and has urged them to \”reconsider their position\”. A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: \”We have been clear that local authorities should pass on in full the 3.5% pay rise recommended by the School Teachers\’ Review Body to all teachers and support staff.\”

 

Rachel Harrison, GMB national officer, said: \”This is a decent pay rise in the current climate but our members are angry and frustrated that it falls so far short of what they were expecting.\”

 

She added: \”The government needs to step up and provide the funding to make this happen. We urge them to do the right thing and give our members the pay rise they deserve.\”

A proposal from GMB, Unite and Unison for a one-off Covid-19 recognition payment and the introduction of a home working allowance were rejected last month.

 

With around half a million school support staff, the proposed pay rise could result in an overall cost to schools approaching £1 billion.

 

Schools are set to receive no extra government funding for the rise on top of the 2021 Spending Review settlement.

 

Last month, school leaders warned that the proposed pay rise for school support staff could be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back” and would be unsustainable for budgets.

 

The Department for Education has said that it is \”disappointing\” that some unions are rejecting the pay offer, and has urged them to \”reconsider their position\”. A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: \”We have been clear that local authorities should pass on in full the 3.5% pay rise recommended by the School Teachers\’ Review Body to all teachers and support staff.\”

 

The government has said that it is \”disappointing\” that some unions are rejecting the pay offer, and has urged them to \”reconsider their position\”. A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: \”We have been clear that local authorities should pass on in full the 3.5% pay rise recommended by the School Teachers\’ Review Body to all teachers and support staff.\”

 

This latest ballot will give staff the chance to have their say on whether they think the pay deal is acceptable. The results of the ballot will be announced on 22 October.

 

If members reject the deal, the union has said it will consult with its reps on what steps to take next.

 

What would you do if you were in the union\’s position? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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