ANOTHER teaching union has voted to strike in a dispute involving County Durham teaching assistants.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) said 84 per cent of its 122 teaching assistants voted to strike in a ballot on a 61 per cent turnout.
Unison, which represents 1,700 of the county’s 2,600 teaching assistants, had already announced its members had voted overwhelmingly to strike.
No dates for strike action have been announced, but were teaching assistants to walk out it is likely to cause huge disruption to schools.
The dispute arose over council changes to teaching assistants’ contracts which will see them be paid term-time only.
Those affected say such a move means significant pay cuts for workers who are already among the lowest paid in the region.
Trish Fay, a teaching assistant in Durham and member of the ATL, said: “We are overworked and very much undervalued.
“Sadly striking is the only option left now to persuade Durham County Council to change its mind as I cannot afford to do the same stressful job, working the same 32.5 hours with £320 a month less in my salary.”
Dr Mary Bousted, ATL’s general secretary, added: “We urge Durham Council to get around the table and negotiate a fair deal for its teaching assistants. It is not too late to do so. No employer should expect its employees to accept working more for less pay.”
Durham County Council has repeatedly said that it has no choice but to carry out the changes and warned that if it does not there is a “huge potential for extremely costly equal pay claims by other staff”.
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