STRIKE action by County Durham teaching assistants has been called off at the 11th hour on Wednesday after both sides agreed to get round the table for talks aimed at finding a solution to the ongoing pay dispute.

Unison confirmed it had suspended tomorrow's scheduled industrial action following Durham County Council’s decision to withdraw its plans to sack teaching assistants on December 31 and re-hire them on new contracts in January.

Durham County Council announced it will be undertaking a review of their roles, which it plans to complete by September 1, 2017 but says it will not be carrying out a mass re-grading of positions.

Members of Unison and ATL – The Education Union, had been planning to walk out for a fifth day on Thursday and for a further three days next week in the bitter dispute over pay.

John Hewitt, the council's corporate director of resources, said: “I am pleased to say these talks have been positive and productive and an agreement has been reached which means tomorrow’s industrial action by teaching assistants in Unison has been called off.

“We are clear that an equal pay risk exists that needs to be addressed. However it is also important to properly examine aspects of the employment of teaching assistants which merit further review given some of the information which has come to light recently.

“We have agreed to undertake a review of teaching assistants’ role, function, job description and activities within the breadth of school activities, to establish whether current job descriptions adequately describe the role being undertaken.

“This review will not reopen the single status agreement currently in place. The timescale for its completion is by the 1 September 2017.

“To enable this to take place, as an act of goodwill, we have agreed we will suspend the dismissal and re-engage process while the review is undertaken within the timescale above.

“This is a very complex situation and it has also resulted in us having further discussions with other recognised trade unions. We look forward to working with these trade unions on the way forward and very much appreciate Unison’s decision to call off tomorrow’s planned action.”

The council started the process in 2015 to address an equal pay issue between teaching assistants and other staff employed on similar grades.

According to the authority, they are paid during school holidays and for 37 hours a week, but only work 32.5 hours – which has been strongly contested by teaching assistants.

Unison Northern regional secretary Clare Williams said: “Disputes are only ever solved through negotiation. At last there can be proper talks, without the threat of huge pay cuts hanging over teaching assistants’ heads.

“Everyone is hoping that councillors now act in good faith, abandon their pay cut plans once and for all, and show how much they value their brilliant teaching assistants.”

Easington teaching assistant Jan Clymo, from the County Durham Teaching Assistants Activists committee, said: “It’s a really good start that the union and Durham County Council is working together again.

“It’s not that long ago that councillor Jane Brown was on the TV saying the council wasn’t going to budge. I don’t know whether it’s people power but things are going in the right direction which can only be a good thing for teaching assistants.

“People have been so worried with it being so close to Christmas and the new year and now it’s been postponed it’s a big weight off our minds.

“I think it will alleviate some of the fears teaching assistants have had, but at the same time we want to make sure nobody loses out financially so the committee will continue fighting for every teaching assistant."