University Schools Trust proposals could slash support staff pay by thousands of pounds
GMB Union has slammed University Schools Trust after it unveiled plans that could see school support staff pay cut by thousands of pounds.
The Trust, which has partnerships with leading universities, including University College London and the University of Warwick, runs four schools in East London.
Support staff at Sir William Borrough School face being moved from grade 5 to grade 3, which could represent a loss of up to £7,500 per year for nursery nurses and up to £2,500 a year for learning support assistants.
Any staff member who opposes the changes will have no choice but to resign, as the Trust has refused to offer redundancy pay.
GMB has raised concerns that the Trust has failed to explain what duties are being removed or reduced to justify a two-grade reduction.
A second school in the Trust, St Paul's Way, has also revealed its intention to cut its IT technician's salary by £6,000 a year.
Kate Jenkins, GMB Branch Secretary, said:
"GMB is clear that the Trust has failed to conduct an honest, transparent and proper consultation and is seeking to push through unfair and unjustifiable reductions in staff terms and conditions.
"In the absence of demonstrable changes to the role, this proposal amounts to a reduction in pay rather than a genuine restructure or proper and honest exercise in job evaluation.
"Our members quite rightly do not accept these proposals, and GMB will not stand by while the Trust seeks to dismiss and re-engage already low-paid staff on further reduced terms and conditions."
A GMB member working at Sir William Borrough School said:
"Recently, we were blindsided by the threat of a steep salary reduction with barely any warning.
"We genuinely care about what’s best for our entire school community, and we refuse to accept a watered-down version of education.
"We’re being asked to take on more responsibilities, work more hours while receiving less in return, and I urge school leaders to approach us fairly and engage in meaningful discussions."
