Strike to Affect Arrival of GCSE and A-level Results

With less than 5% of AQA employees walking out, the school results will arrive on time. This walkout will not affect class schedules, which was AQA’s top priority.

 

But Unison said the strike would affect students awaiting their GCSE and A-level results on the 25th and 18th of August.

 

Devonport said: “Staff want to support their students and want them to succeed. They know life’s difficulties without a good education, so they don’t want to strike at such a crucial time.”

 

After years of stagnant wages, workers have been left with no alternative but to stay at their job. They shouldn’t be left struggling to pay rising expenses due to the deepening cost-of-living crisis.

 

Although a majority approved the strike action of individuals, there has been an increase in membership since these events.

 

Sally called on AQA to return to discussions following the financial struggles of staff members, which she claims were caused by insufficient pay.

 

AQA offered a 3% pay rise for this year, but AQA disagrees and says it will give an average 5.6% pay rise, which is higher than the many other organisations offering less.

 

The biggest raise for employees of England’s exam board in 20 years

 

Due to inflation, equipment company Unison rejected a “real-terms” payment cut of 9.1%. They said workers had been promised to be fired and rehired on different contracts if the offer was rejected, causing the Union to worry about their well-being.

 

The AQA spokesperson said, Fewer than half of Unison members at AQA voted for a  strike, which is about 5% of their workforce of 1,200.

 

A spokesman said, “It’s disappointing that Unison has decided to take strike action. The vast majority of our staff don’t support a strike.”

 

“Unison is trying to disrupt the meetings to agree on grade boundaries for students, but most of these have already finished, and the rest are on track to finish next week regardless of the strike.”

 

AQA has introduced new contracts, a part of the “new and fairer pay framework” they presented. They want to provide employees with a greater opportunity to grow their wages and haven’t yet decided what they’ll do when employees opt out.

 

AQA is experiencing a walkout of 5%. This does not affect the outcome of exams, which is their “priority.”

 

There is a strike that will last until the weekend. This could mean delays for students awaiting their GCSE and A-level results on those days.

 

Devonport said: “staff don’t want to let young people down by taking strike action at such a crucial time. They appreciate how much students rely on their grades and want them to succeed.”

 

They are left struggling and not paying the bills after being subject to wage cuts akin to wages that AQA may not prepare for the effect of the strike because there will not be one. Nonetheless, she predicts that the staff will do their best to create material and deliver it to students as quickly as possible.

 

Out of 163 Unison members in the debate, 91 voted. Sixty-five of these voted YES for strike action, and 16 voted NO. However, by launching individual consultations during the ballot, AQA created “uncertainty for people”. This made many even angrier after the votes were closed, as they were unsatisfied with what AQA would do next in those consultations. They believed the balloting turnout was denying the strength of feeling when many joined this business before the deadlines were over and membership numbers were growing.

 

The union said that pay had increased by just 0.6%

 

Unison is stating that AQA has an offer for a 3% pay rise, and AQA disputes this, saying that they are offering an average pay rise of 5.6%.

 

The exam board declared that the strike would disrupt students.

 

AQA is offering a 3% wage cut. Workers have been warned that if they do not accept AQA’s offer, they may be fired and rehired on different contracts.

 

The AQA spokesperson denied the claims by Unison that the strike would not affect students’ grades.

 

The AQA spokesperson said that only about 5% of their workforce had voted to strike.

 

Unison said that a majority of their staff does not support their decision to take strike action.

 

The Unison platform is trying to disrupt the meetings that are taken to make decisions on students’ grade boundaries. Most of these meetings are over, so it needs to happen and will continue as planned despite the strike.

 

What can the Department of Education do to alleviate the current situation and prevent the delayed results in the future? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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