A London trust that already offers maternity pay 30 per cent above national levels is facing disruption today as staff strike over what unions claim is a “two-tier” policy.
Eight of the Charter Schools Educational Trust’s nine schools will be affected by strikes for four days.
It comes after the National Education Union found the maternity pay offered at two of its academies was “significantly higher” than at its seven other schools.
Daniel Kebede, the union’s general secretary, called it a “two-tier policy”, adding it was not “fair that some staff receive thousands more maternity pay than their colleagues, despite sharing the same employer”.
However, the MAT said this was because the two joined the trust having offered employees rates in line with those provided by Lambeth council.
These are said to be 58 per cent above the £17,600 guaranteed in the burgundy book.
A teacher at the top of the main pay range would receive £27,800 over 12 months. Staff at the rest of the trust’s schools, which are in neighbouring Southwark, would get about £23,000.
Kebede – whose union is demanding equal maternity pay across the trust – accused Charter of “complete intransigence” as it had not “offered a single penny more”.
He pointed to the “tens of thousands” it spent on “external consultants, marketing and branding, a growing central team and substantial pay rises for its leaders”.
‘We simply don’t have the wriggle room’
However, a Charter Schools spokesperson said the consultant and marketing fees were “one-off” payments that were “fractional compared to what it would cost us to increase maternity pay just in the first year alone”.
It also was “one of only a few academy trusts who already pay our staff more than the national agreement for maternity pay”.
“However, when trying to protect jobs because of the pressure of falling rolls and increased costs, we simply don’t have the wriggle room to nearly double that commitment.”
If government funding “changed”, they said, the chain “would more than welcome the opportunity for all staff to be on that even higher maternity rate”.
It is just the latest example of school funding woes pitting leaders against unions, with disruption for pupils. Some of the schools will have to close – although not for vulnerable pupils – while others will part-close.
Jess Balado, the chair of the National Headteachers’ Associations Network, said: “It is inevitably going to be the case that as things become tighter there will be more conflict [with unions].
“It’s not fair on school leaders… there is not adequate funding in schools to be able to do everything.”
More strikes feared
One trust chief executive, who asked to remain anonymous, warned of more strikes this autumn “due to the shortfall in funding and increased costs”, noting: “The chickens have come home to roost. Schools will have to make redundancies.”
Elsewhere in London, NEU members at Harris Academy Beckenham took part in two days of walkouts this week over “unacceptable management” and workload.
The union also claimed Harris Federation, which runs the school, has “intervened to stop staff exercising their trade union rights” by stopping officers from accessing the school and “falsely” claiming “the NEU is refusing to meet”.
But a Harris spokesperson said it did not recognise the “malicious allegations being spread about our schools” and accused the union of “encouraging dissent amongst our staff”.
The chain has “attempted to engage” with the NEU “on a number of occasions, but they have repeatedly refused to meet with us”.
“We have extended the invitation to meet again and are committed to resolving any issues they have as soon as possible.”
Your thoughts