A union representing school support staff has rejected the 3.2 per cent pay rise – saying it is a “disgrace” the proposed increase is less than teachers received.
Pay for support staff, carers and council staff is negotiated between the Local Government Association (LGA), referred to as the “national employer”, and unions.
A majority of 77 per cent of members at one of those, GMB, voted against the pay offer after 150,000 people were balloted.
The union did not reveal the voting turnout – but it means they will demand employers go back to the negotiating table to up their offer, with a potential impact on already-stretched school budgets.
It follows the government upping its teacher pay rise for this year to 4 per cent.
‘Disgrace’
National employers said in April their offer would mean the lowest-paid workers would have seen their pay rise by more than £6,000 since April 2021. However the rise this year equated to just 3.2 per cent.
GMB’s national officer Kevin Brandstatter called the offer a “real terms pay cut” and “one of the worst in the public sector”.
“Offering teachers 4 per cent and badly paid school support staff and other council workers just 3.2 per cent is a disgrace,” he said.
“The LGA has shown complete and utter contempt for hard working public servants doing their best to deliver services despite insufficient staff or resources.”
Support staff pay starts at £23,656, according to the 2024 pay scales.
This compares to a starting salary last year of £31,650 for teachers on the lowest pay band, which will rise to just under £33,000 in 2025-26.
Unison, the other main union representing support staff, said its committee is due to meet later this week to decide whether it backs the deal, with an update due next week.
Unite has also already rejected the deal.
School budget hit
A 3.2 per cent increase was lower than the predicted growth in wages across the wider economy, which had been revised to 3.7 per cent by the Office for Budget Responsibility this year.
But chair of the national employers James Lewis said in April they were “acutely aware of the additional pressure the offer would place on finances” but believed the offer “is fair to employees”.
Any rise that is more then expected will also put further strain on already-stretched school budgets, many of whom will have budgeted for the 3.2 per cent.
Unions had called for an increase of at least £3,000 across all pay points, along with a “clear plan to reach a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour”.
They also demanded one extra day of annual leave for all staff, a reduction in the working week by two hours with no loss of pay, and the ability for school staff to take at least one day of their annual leave during term time.
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