The March 2017 agreement ended a very public, and damaging dispute between Derby City Council and UNISON/School Support/Teaching Assistant staff. This was agreed shortly after Cllr Baggy Shanker became involved, and his […]
Teaching Assistant dispute; Council fails on Agreement and re-ignites dispute. Where did it go wrong?
In March 2017, UNISON recommended that the School Support Staff/Teaching Assistants should accept the Council’s latest offer. This was on the basis that it was substantially improved on anything that had been […]
Teaching Assistant dispute resolution could be undermined by Council’s summer of silence
1st September 2017 was the committed date for the new School Support staff contracts to be in place – the Council has not been speaking to UNISON, nothing has been agreed! The […]
Teaching Assistant/School Support Staff dispute – what was finally agreed?
On March 17th, Derby City Council made an enhanced offer to UNISON to secure a resolution to the long-running dispute with the Schools Support staff. The proposal was more radical than previous […]
Solidarity! Teaching Assistants and Unions from across the UK meet in Durham
A national demonstration was organised by the Durham TA action committee today bringing together groups from the whole country – including the Derby School Support / UNISON team. The groups met in […]
TA Strike : Council expects autistic children to “wait and see” regarding school closures
Tomorrow will be another day of strikes across the City as a result of the Teaching Assistant dispute over pay cuts. It is important that there is a plan in place which […]
Parents affected by Teaching Assistant strike considering legal action against Council
Whilst battle lines continue to be re-drawn between Derby City Council and UNISON over the Teaching Assistant dispute, and the negotiations remain intractable, it is the Parents and some of the most […]
Truths, and Myths, about the Teaching Assistant/ School Support staff dispute
After nearly 18 months of a dispute, and 7 months of strike action, there is still much confusion over the facts, the root cause, and why negotiations are locked. There is a […]
Parents protest in Council Offices demanding an end to TA/School Support staff dispute
A protest was arranged today at 1.30pm by the Parents affected by the TA/School Support staff dispute in the Council reception. Also in attendance, were TAs and UNISON. It was a noisy […]
Momentum Derbyshire declares support for TAs and recognises that Pay Cut is a Council “choice”
Momentum Derbyshire has issued a statement that must come as a welcome boost to the Teaching Assistants(TAs), and School Support staff who have been in dispute with Derby City Council over pay […]
Strike!: Teaching Assistants target Mackworth with a simple message
The Teaching Assistant (TA) / School Support staff strike action continued today with the Mackworth Ward being the target – it is home to Labour Cllrs Pegg, Whitby, and Froggatt. The striking […]
Council’s gender pay gap for the low paid, widens, despite Equal Pay Review
Derby City Council exhibits significant gender pay inequality despite a comprehensive Equal Pay Review. Through Freedom of Information I asked for a detailed breakdown of all salaries into salary bands, and between […]
Lakeside School parents lobby Council in support of Teaching Assistants.
I reported on Tuesday about the letter that was issued by the acting Heads of Lakeside School that tried to undermine the Teaching Assistant’s pay cut claim by suggesting that they were […]
Teaching Assistant dispute: Council uses Lakeside School to spread false propaganda to Parents
It has never been disputed by Derby City Council that the Teaching Assistants have lost considerable money in the Equal Pay Review / Changes to Terms and Conditions process; the issue is […]
Teaching Assistant dispute: simple explanation of the Council’s pay omnishambles!
Why are the Teaching Assistants in dispute? What is the real reason for the pay cut? How is the Council being disingenuous? What is the only solution that makes sense? (NB There […]
STRIKE!: Teaching Assistants target Banwait’s Boulton ward for support
“It’s immoral what is happening to you, absolutely immoral. This Council has got choices…and it has chosen to hit you…and it’s wrong. We must stop them! And it must never happen again. […]
Proposal for a “Fair Deal for School Support Staff”
The Teaching Assistant / School Support staff dispute is in grid-lock with Derby City Council – there is another strike this week! Background If the Schools Support staff were asked to accept […]
Why does the Mayor of Derby find this banner so ‘offensive’?
It would seem that the Mayor of Derby doesn’t know whether to be sympathetic to the cause of the Teaching Assistants, or to be offended by a banner which one parent felt […]
Strike! Teaching Assistants/ School Support staff continue their fight against a 25% PAY CUT
Today the Teaching Assistants / Schools Support Staff are on strike for the first time, in the new term. Anyone who thought that the school holidays would dampen their resolve is very […]
TA/School Support Staff : Letter from Derby City Council Chief Exec sparks angry response.
Following discussions between Derby City Council (DCC) and UNISON on Friday 9th September ( which proved to be unsatisfactory) and in an attempt to head off the Strike action planned for next […]