Teachers strike over 'bullying and harassment' claims

Some staff claim bullying cases were "mismanaged"

Teachers at a Bristol secondary school are striking following allegations of bullying and harassment.

Staff at City Academy in Easton began six days of industrial action on Tuesday.

The NEU (National Education Union) say teachers are frustrated about mismanagement of bullying and harassment cases, and disparity over additional responsibility payments.

City Academy Principal Ben Tucker said: “It is both a surprise and a disappointment that union members have chosen to strike, given the efforts made to meet their demands."

Six days of strike action are planned

Union bosses say there are concerns around how bullying and harassment allegations made by the SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities) team were handled.

They claim cases were "mismanaged" and there has been a "lack of transparency over job evaluation and pay parity for similar roles in other schools" within Cabot Learning Federation Trust.

Staff are also frustrated about 'the failure to include break time in the directed time budget', the union claims.

NEU Senior Regional Officer Ian McCann said: “The issues at City Academy are long-standing and have been raised regularly by NEU workplace representatives over the previous couple of years.

"Members are angry and frustrated by the lack of actions from the employer.

"This strike is about staff being treated with respect and fairness in order that they can carry out their important roles effectively."

If negotiations are not successful, two further days of strike action are planned for 30 April and 1 May.

'Not about bullying'

Mr Tucker said only a "minority of staff" were participating in the strike action.

The school also claims the dispute is centred over "employment terms" and not bullying.

"These typically relate to staff pay, and additional union claims of bullying and harassment are simply not recognised within a school which places fairness and equality at the heart of its culture," said Mr Tucker.

"We have made credible proposals to resolve every issue, reached agreement on the majority of concerns raised, and believe resolution is near in the outstanding areas. This has been achieved within the very short timeframe offered by the NEU, and we continue to work in good faith to secure a full resolution."

Despite the NEU action, City Academy has remained open to all year groups.