Vote on another contract for County Durham teaching assistants

A VOTE on the “final offer” for embattled teaching assistants will take place today (Wednesday). 

Teaching staff and Durham County Council have been at loggerheads since new contracts were imposed two years ago to prevent equal pay claims.

The latest offer was unveiled last week and includes new measures aimed to mitigate lost pay for 22 per cent of teaching assistants (TAs) who would lose money if the contracts get the nod.

County councillors will vote on the deal at 10am on Wednesday morning at County Hall.

New contracts would see TAs work 37 hours a week for 40 weeks of the year with the majority getting a pay rise but a real terms cut, given the one per cent pay cap, for 22 per cent of staff.

County officials hoped a revised “final offer” would bring the complex dispute to an end.

But not everyone is behind the latest proposal.

Barnard Castle’s Tom Deacon thought the working conditions offered in the contract looked very similar to the last offer.

He also feared TAs could be forced to teach classes under the new deal.

The father-of-two added: “TAs could have to teach a full class for one afternoon a week. Although TAs do a fantastic job, as a parent, I want more children to be taught by fully qualified teachers.

“I call on my county councillors to vote against the proposal and not to abstain or vote it through.”

The dispute began in 2015 when TAs were “fired and rehired” on new contracts designed to prevent equal pay claims against the authority.

Teaching unions and county bosses have spent months around the negotiating table hammering out deals.

A new pay deal offered before the summer holidays was rejected by Unison members over fears 472 people would lose out.

The county council hopes this latest deal would spell the end of the row.

Cllr Jane Brown, cabinet member for social inclusion, said: “We have continued to listen carefully and I am pleased to say we now have a proposal that gives a greater understanding of some of the issues raised during negotiations and we now hope that this will bring an end to this dispute.

“By establishing a teaching assistant career progression board and a formal training programme to support our TAs into further career opportunities we believe we have done everything conceivably possible to provide on-going support.”

The revised offer delays the implementation of the new terms and conditions until January 2018. The two year compensation offer will apply if this final offer is accepted.

Once again, an agreement voted on by the county council will need union ballot backing to go ahead.