HUNDREDS of teaching assistants are expected to attend a rally to protest a council’s latest offer in a dispute over proposed contract changes.

It will be the second rally to be held following a decision to sack County Durham’s 2,700 teaching assistants and re-engage them on term-time only contracts.

Last week, Durham County Council voted to approve the authority’s “final offer”, which would see the compensation period extended from one to two years.

Teaching assistants are being balloted on whether to accept or reject the proposal but campaigners from the County Durham Teaching Assistants Activists Committee [CDTAA] say an “overwhelming” majority do not accept the offer.

The rally is being held at 7pm on Wednesday, September 21 at Durham Miners’ Hall, in Flass Street, Durham.

Representatives from theCDTAA, National Union of Teachers [NUT], the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and Durham Miners’ Association will be speaking.

Lisa Turnbull, from the CDTAA, said: “This rally is to bring people together again to show the continuing support. We’re expecting a really big turn-out.

“It would be easy to be ground down but we’re not giving up. As teaching assistants we will keep fighting. No-one can afford a 23 per cent pay cut. It’s a life-changing amount - it’s the choice between paying the mortgage and not paying the mortgage.”

In May, the council agreed to change teaching assistants’ contracts so they will be paid during term-time only, which it says will achieve equality across its workforce and reduce equal pay claims.

The council says teaching assistants are currently paid for working 37 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, but work 32 and-a-half hours during term time only.

However, critics dispute the council’s claim it will result in a 10 per cent reduction, saying it will be a pay cut of up to 23 per cent for some staff.

If the offer is rejected, the council says it will continue to sack and re-engage teaching assistants, giving them a single year of compensation.

The official results of the ballot are expected by September 29.

An online fund set up to support the campaign has now reached £26,500.