School support staff strike over pay

More than 1,000 school support staff in south Londonwent on strike on Friday in a dispute over London weighting pay.

The GMB union said workers from more than 30 schools in Merton and Greenwich would rally outside Parliament before marching to the Department for Education (DfE) and on to Trafalgar Square.

Teaching assistants and other support staff in the two boroughs are paid at outer London rates, while teachers at the same schools receive inner London pay.

Both councils said they recognised the strength of feeling but that the gap could only be closed nationally.

Teaching assistants on strike in London on Friday said the pay gap they faced was approximately £1,400 a year.

One woman, who is an early years teaching assistant, said: "I want justice really.

"It's hard, the food shop has gone up, everything has gone up at the moment. I'd really appreciate London weighting."

A teaching assistant in Merton said she was aware of colleagues who were using food banks to get by.

Another woman, who has been a teaching assistant for 14 years, said she loved her job supporting children, but the pay was "not fair".

"I can't keep up with my bills," she said. "I've even thought about changing jobs purely because of the money, but I don't want to leave my job, I absolutely love my job."

Merton Council said support staff at 28 of its schools were due to walk out, and that each school would tell parents whether it would be fully open, partially open or closed.

Staff in the borough previously took industrial action in May.

The GMB said it had asked Education Secretary Lucy Powell to meet its members but had not received a reply.

Nadine Houghton, the union's regional secretary, said members wanted to tell Powell directly about "the hardship they have been experiencing for years".

"Unfortunately, even though we will be marching right by her department, we are yet to hear back from her," she said.

A Merton Council spokesperson said it supported the case for fair pay but "cannot legally fund this increase at local level".

The council said the union had instead asked for a one-off payment, which it would not endorse because of the "knock-on consequences for other council services and residents".

"Pay for support staff is negotiated nationally. It is funded through government grants, and so a fair and permanent solution must be found at national level," the spokesperson added.

The council said it had taken the issue to the government, was working with other London boroughs facing the same issue and would press for change through a new national negotiating body for school support staff.

A Greenwich Council spokesperson said: "We respect the right of unions to take industrial action. However, the best place for children is in the classroom, and we hope for constructive discussions to minimise disruption to pupils."

The council said the disparity dated back to the abolition of the Inner London Education Authority in 1990, when teachers kept inner London pay but support staff did not.

"This is a national issue relating to historic pay agreements, rather than local council decisions," the spokesperson said.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk