Schools

UK union lodges huge equal pay claim

The European union that covers school support staff, UNISON, has lodged an equal pay claim on behalf of nearly 1,000 teaching assistants in Lancashire - the largest equal value pay claim in the UK and Europe.

The claim could be worth nearly £10 million a year in pay increases for the teaching assistants.

UNISON has lodged the claim with an employment tribunal in Manchester but has stayed the application on the basis that Lancashire county council has agreed to negotiate to secure satisfactory gradings for its school support staff.

The claim is on behalf of 990 teaching assistants of the 4,000 employed by the authority, including nursery nurses, special support assistants and learning and classroom assistants.

UNISON national secretary for local government Heather Wakefield said:

"School support staff are among the most undervalued in local government. These equal pay claims demonstrate the need for local authorities to carry out urgent pay audits and bring the pay structures in line with the Equal Pay Act.

"By taking this case, UNISON is demonstrating its commitment to attacking the gender pay gap and we will pursue further cases on behalf of all groups of women staff."

The Lancashire claim is based on the argument that the school support staff are employed to do work of equal value to the work of male comparators employed by the council in their environment directorate.

UNISON has received expert advice that their work is of equal value to those male comparators.

School support staff like teaching assistants are among the lowest paid in the local government sector - 80% earn less than £8,000 per year.

In local government, women earn on average 66% of their male counterparts. And the gender pay gap between men's earnings across the economy and women in local government is growing.

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/schools/20030310_equity.html
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005