Support staff FAQs

We have written to the recognised unions who sit on the National Joint Council (NJC) to inform them that we are preparing to consult our members on their willingness to take strike action over the NJC employers’ offer and to register our desire to work alongside them, in a General Election year, by balloting our members to address the funding of jobs and conditions of service. 

Current employment law means that unless you have an employment contract with your school, and that you receive your postings via an agency, you are not an employee of that school, and are ineligible to take part in any industrial action which may arise from a successful indicative survey result.

Yes, you can, as long as you are directly employed by the local authority.

Pay arrangements for sixth form college support staff members are dealt with separately, in talks with the Sixth Form College Association. For further information, please click here.

The relevant NEU Rule states that a preliminary electronic ballot of members must indicate that a formal ballot is likely to meet legal requirements. The law says that any formal postal ballot would need to secure a 50 per cent turnout and a majority ‘Yes’ vote for strike action to be taken. If the result of the preliminary electronic ballot does not meet those stipulations, it’s unlikely that the NEU executive would authorise a formal ballot.

This will depend on a number of factors, and it will be a matter for the executive to decide. Given our stated aim of working with the recognised unions, and also our desire to co-ordinate any action we may take on a cross-NEU basis i.e. NEU teacher and support staff members taking action together, it is too soon to be definitive. Any formal postal ballot is likely to run for ten weeks, alongside a formal ballot for teachers. First things first, we need to secure a successful vote in this preliminary electronic ballot.

Because pay is dealt with differently for the two groups of members. Support staff pay is negotiated by the employers and unions, with an implementation date for any rise of April 1. Teachers’ pay is determined by the School Teachers Review Body (STRB) and any rise is implemented on September 1.

You will get a vote in the electronic indicative survey, however if you will be on maternity leave when the union is likely to take the first day of action, you will not be included in the formal ballot. This is because we can only ballot those members who we can reasonably expect to take strike action.

No, in the event of strike action being called, we will not be issuing strike pay, so you will receive a deduction of salary for any days we are on strike. The loss in salary is, however, far less than you have lost since 2010 due to the pay freeze.

In the event of strike action being called, local districts will set up local industrial action hardship funds. Grants may be made from the Industrial Action Hardship Fund to any member of the district who has suffered or is considered likely to suffer hardship as a result of their participation in industrial action with no strike pay.

Most of the Local Authorities with their own pay arrangements tend to mirror the NJC terms and conditions, so in this case, you should absolutely vote ‘Yes’ in the ballot. If you are employed by an LA that has less favourable pay conditions than the NJC, we would still encourage you to vote ‘Yes’ as there could be an opportunity for local action against your individual employer following a successful indicative ballot.