UNISON is calling on branches and workplace reps to join one last push to get as many members as possible to vote in the NJC academies ballot which closes on Wednesday.
The union is currently balloting members who work in academy schools that apply the National Joint Council’s pay award scheme.
UNISON’s national secretary for education and children’s services Jon Richards said today: “UNISON strongly believes that the current national NJC offer of 1% just isn’t fair enough for people who work hard in schools to improve our children’s education.
“We are urging all eligible members to send a strong message to the NJC employers by voting ‘yes’ to strike action.”
A ‘yes’ vote, will see members in NJC academies join colleagues in local government in a day’s strike action on Tuesday 14 October.
A teaching assistant in an academy school for special needs children in Sunderland said that the lack of any pay rise at all in the five years since the school became an academy had driven him into debt.
“I’m the only breadwinner in my family. The bills are constantly going up. My pay stays the same. It’s a struggle. Under those circumstances, something’s got to give.
“I love my job, I love the kids I work with. I just want us to receive the pay rise that we deserve for the work that we do. 1% is not good enough.”
A member who works as a cover supervisor in an academy school in Staffordshire said she hadn’t received a pay rise for two years.
“Over time you get worse and worse off. And as a single parent of two teenage children it gets particularly hard.
“If I was unemployed I would get help with my rent, with school uniforms, school meals. But I love my job. I’m desperately trying to stay in work.
“You see MPs are voting themselves 6% pay rises. It’s bad enough that 6% of their wages is shed loads more than 6% of mine. But I’m being offered 1%. It just feels unjust.”
The ballot closes on Wednesday 24 September at 10am.
