Unison blasts Osborne for reneging on promise to increase salaries of low-paid school staff
Lauren Higgs
Friday, February 18, 2011
Unison has launched a campaign to protect low-paid school staff such as teaching assistants, school meals workers and caretakers from the public sector pay freeze.
Chancellor George Osborne promised last June that low-paid workers in the public sector would get a pay increase of £250 this year.
But Local Government Employers announced yesterday that it will not be increasing pay for staff during the financial year 2011/12.
This will be the second year running that local government workers and school support staff have had a pay freeze imposed.
Although almost 40 per cent of school staff in England are directly employed by their schools, the union is calling on Education Secretary Michael Gove to deliver the £250 to them.
Unison is also asking its members in local government, schools and colleges who earn less than £21,000 to target their local MP and the Chancellor, either at MPs surgeries or by letter or email, to ask why they haven’t received the money they were promised and when they can expect to receive it.
Christina McAnea, Unison’s head of education, said the government’s position is "indefensible".
"There were no caveats to the Chancellor’s promise," she explained. "The government is even recommending to the teachers’ pay review body that teachers earning less than £21,000 should get their £250. Yet teaching assistants, school secretaries, school meals staff, cleaners and caretakers – the lowest paid in schools won’t. Osborne has to deliver on his promise.
"Our members do vital jobs to support the public, pupils and their families and they deserve to be treated better."
NHS staff and civil servants are to receive the pay increase, but local government, school and college staff will not.
But Local Government Employers announced yesterday that it will not be increasing pay for staff during the financial year 2011/12.
This will be the second year running that local government workers and school support staff have had a pay freeze imposed.
Although almost 40 per cent of school staff in England are directly employed by their schools, the union is calling on Education Secretary Michael Gove to deliver the £250 to them.
Unison is also asking its members in local government, schools and colleges who earn less than £21,000 to target their local MP and the Chancellor, either at MPs surgeries or by letter or email, to ask why they haven’t received the money they were promised and when they can expect to receive it.
Christina McAnea, Unison’s head of education, said the government’s position is "indefensible".
"There were no caveats to the Chancellor’s promise," she explained. "The government is even recommending to the teachers’ pay review body that teachers earning less than £21,000 should get their £250. Yet teaching assistants, school secretaries, school meals staff, cleaners and caretakers – the lowest paid in schools won’t. Osborne has to deliver on his promise.
"Our members do vital jobs to support the public, pupils and their families and they deserve to be treated better."
NHS staff and civil servants are to receive the pay increase, but local government, school and college staff will not.
