Staff working for Cathedral Schools Trust are on strike this week in a long-running dispute over pay, says UNISON today (Tuesday).
Teaching assistants, administrators, librarians, finance officers, caretakers, and caterers walked out today (Tuesday) and will do so again on Thursday (13 November).
The employees, at schools across Bristol and North Somerset, say they’ve had enough of being underpaid for their work.
They are unhappy the trust has refused to implement pay rises when announced in April, says UNISON.
By delaying payment of the higher salary until the new school year begins in September, staff say they’ve been shortchanged to the tune of thousands of pounds in recent years and should be rewarded fairly.
This year the trust finally started paying its workers properly from April. However, UNISON says bosses now need to make up the shortfall from the previous five years.
Staff first walked out last week (on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 November) and have threatened further walkouts if the dispute cannot be resolved.
UNISON South West regional secretary Kerry Baigent said: “School support staff are the backbone of the education system.
“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 decent thing and pay the money owed.”
Teaching assistant Stephen, who works at St Werburgh’s Primary School, said: “Without the vital contribution of teaching assistants, mentors and office teams, schools in the trust simply couldn’t run.
“If the trust really values and respects the hard work and commitment of its staff, it must act now and pay them fairly.”
Picket line locations
Picket lines will be in place between 7:30am – 9am on Tuesday 11 and Thursday 13 November at all twelve Cathedral Schools Trust schools.
