Strikers - 'think of the pupils'

Feb 18 2008 By Tony Collins

TEACHING assistants across Birmingham were today urged not to back a repeat of the council strike action which forced nearly 170 schools to close.

Many classroom assistants supported the one-day stoppage staged by members of the town hall unions on February 5.

Now the chairman of Birmingham's education scrutiny committee, Coun Jon Hunt, has called on the school workers not to support the follow-up strike, earmarked for February 26.

"We are constantly telling parents we don't want them to take their children out of school, but the message coming from those responsible for them is it doesn't matter and it's okay to close the school," Coun Hunt said.

"But it isn't okay to close the school. "They have a responsibility to the children."

Coun Hunt (Lib Dem, Perry Barr) claimed school staff were largely outside the pay and grading dispute caused by the introduction of a single status agreement.

He said teaching assistants' pay would be determined by individual school governing bodies at a later date.

But Unison Birmingham branch secretary Caroline Johnson said: "A lot of teaching assistants are our members and they were balloted for strike action because they are part of this dispute over fair and transparent pay.

"We will certainly expect them to take part in the strike action on February 26.

"As a mother myself, I have every sympathy for parents. But I care very much for children's education and, if people are disgruntled at work, they cannot give of their best. We want to get round the table and talk about this."

A city council spokesman said officials were in the process of drafting further guidance, but this would not have any significant affect on the grades or salaries they were recommending governing bodies adopted for staff.