TEACHING assistants could turn to the courts in an attempt to resolve a dispute over their contracts in their favour, The Northern Echo understands.

An online fund set to support the County Durham teaching assistants campaign has rocketed past £20,000 after the long-running dispute attracted national coverage.

The Echo has been told that one avenue being explored is whether the cash could be used to fund a barrister for a legal challenge against Durham County Council.

It wants to pay teaching assistants term time only rather than the current 52 weeks a year in order to ensure fairness and equality with other workers.

Last week the authority revealed it would pay compensation to the 2,700 staff affected by its proposed changes over two years, rather than one, in a proposal set to be put before councillors on Wednesday. (September 14).

It said it was a “final attempt” to resolve the increasingly bitter dispute without the requirement to dismiss and re-engage staff.

But a poll on the teaching assistants’ Facebook page has barely attracted a single vote in favour, despite the offer being described as “much improved” by the union Unison.

Campaign group County Durham Teaching Assistants, which has been behind the #ValueUs campaign, said its committee would be rejecting the council’s proposal.

Teaching assistant Lisa Turnbull said strike action was now a possibility and the council wasn't listening to reason.

She said: “We will now vote on the proposals and if, as the feedback on our support group suggests, they are rejected we will vote to strike.

“This is not a decision we will take lightly as it will have a huge impact on families, but we feel that we have no choice.”

Teaching assistant Rebecca, who did not want to give her surname, said: “The so-called compensation is just the council letting us keep our own money for two years.

“The choice is lose your money in one year or lose it in two years. That’s not a choice. I will lose £225 take home pay a month."

Campaign organiser Gillian Iveson said: “Other councils have sorted out this issue in ways that mean low-paid, mostly female workers, are not pushed into poverty. We urge the council to find another way.”