Nursery World - Pay cuts ahead for assistants

Classroom assistants are facing pay cuts as a result of the way their local councils plan to implement the single status agreement, which aims to harmonise local authority pay scales. In Solihull, West Midlands, the council plans to create four new pay bands, with salaries ranging from 8,000 to 20,000 per year. It is down to schools to decide which band employees should be in. Unions fear that classroom assistants will find themselves worse off as a result.

In Solihull, West Midlands, the council plans to create four new pay bands, with salaries ranging from 8,000 to 20,000 per year. It is down to schools to decide which band employees should be in. Unions fear that classroom assistants will find themselves worse off as a result.

Rick Tudor, West Midlands regional officer for public sector union Unison, said large numbers of classroom assistants faced losing up to 1,000 from their annual salaries if the council pushed ahead with its plans. 'The single status agreement was never designed for low-paid members to come off worse than before,' he said. 'I think our members are being devalued by the whole process, yet the Government has said they are front-line workers. We have no agreement with Solihull council, though we are happy to continue with negotiations. Our members are extremely annoyed and the options could include industrial action at the appropriate time.'

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