School support staff to strike over restructure

Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham said the restructuring would "ruin" the lives of affected staff

Dozens of support staff at a south-east London primary school are to walk out for the day over a proposed restructure.

Teaching assistants and other workers at Mulgrave Primary School in Greenwich who are members of the Unite, GMB and Unison unions are opposing the proposals they claim were set out by Greenwich Council.

Unite said the plans would lead to 14 job closures, pay cuts and additional unpaid duties, while also scrapping flexible working arrangements.

Greenwich Council declined to comment and said it was a matter for the unions and the school. The school has been contacted for a response.

Thirty-five members of staff are due to take part in the walkout, according to Unite.

The union's general secretary, Sharon Graham, said the support staff were "the backbone of Mulgrave School, without whom it simply cannot function", but the "ill-thought through restructuring" would "ruin" their lives.

"Mulgrave’s management and the council should be ashamed of such behaviour.

"Our members won’t stand for such behaviour and they have the complete support of their union," she added.

Unison's London regional organiser, Dick Traynor, said: "School managers have ordered savage cuts without coming clean about why they’re needed or what other options there are.

"Those that won’t lose their jobs face a pay cut and will be on worse contracts.

"Workers have been left with little choice but to strike over these unacceptable plans."

Stuart Fegan, GMB's senior organiser, said: "It's quite frankly shameful that the headteacher and senior management team at Mulgrave Primary School have not made any proposals to resolve our members' concerns.

"Our members are their staff and are simply seeking assurances that will protect the standards of education they seek to provide their students."