Unions representing support staff are calling for an inflation-busting 12.7 per cent pay rise from April, a £15-an-hour minimum wage and “recognition” for those supporting pupils with additional needs.
Unison, GMB and Unite are filing their 2023 pay claim this week to kickstart bargaining with local authority employers, with wages negotiated between them rather than involving central government – as for teachers.
The called-for hike to pay spines would affect not only maintained school staff and wider local government workforces represented by the unions, but also employees at many academy trusts – which are not involved in negotiations but typically honour the deals.
The unions want pay spines to increase by two per cent more than inflation in 2023, to ensure gains are not eroded by rising costs. They claim past pay freezes and below-inflation rises have left teaching assistants 23 per cent worse off in real-terms than in 2010.
