The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
National Union of Teachers officials say they are hoping for “serious negotiation” over a pay dispute at Spalding Grammar School after members voted overwhelmingly to back strike action.
A ballot of staff in the union – understood to be a high proportion of employees – returned a 100 per cent backing for industrial action. The turnout was 77 per cent.
NUT national executive member and division secretary Ken Rustidge told The Voice: “This demonstrates the strength of feeling amongst members.
“Our hope is that now we can have serious negotiation and avoid the need to take further action.”
The dispute is over a one per cent pay rise. The school’s senior management – which operates as an academy and therefore deals with its budget independently of council control – says it cannot afford to offer such an increase across the board without other areas suffering. Headteacher Steven Wilkinson and chairman of the governors the Rev John Bennett are proposing an increase in pay scales, which would lift some teachers’ salaries, but not those already at the top end of the current scale.
The union accused the school of digging its heels in and “refusing to implement the paltry cost of living increase that other Lincolnshire schools have”.
It said: “Spalding Grammar is a well-regarded school but is increasingly isolated as virtually every single school up and down the country has awarded the minimal increase.
“The school has claimed that it does not have the funds to implement the pay increase and that doing so would be disadvantageous to some staff. Nothing could be further from the truth as the recommended pay increase would mean a one per cent increase for all teachers and two per cent for those on the top of the pay spine.
“Teachers at Spalding have suffered a 14 per cent pay cut in real terms since 2010 and teachers are worried that this further cut will mean Spalding finds it much more difficult to attract the excellent teachers the pupils deserve.”
NUT regional officer Nick Raine said: “I am disappointed that school management have given parents and the Spalding community the impression that they are acting in line with the pay review body’s recommendations. They are taking the unusual and unreasonable step of ignoring them and treating Spalding teachers unfairly.
“Despite facing potentially days of strike action school management have never met with me and there are no ongoing negotiations or meetings planned with the school. Sadly this makes strike action inevitable as the school is ensuring that teachers have no other way of expressing their genuine grievances over an unjustified pay cut.
“I call upon the chair of governors Rev John Bennett and headteacher Mr Wilkinson to consider the unfairness of their actions and either find a way to implement the paltry pay award or meet with the NUT who would be happy to suggest ways that the school could find the money as other schools across Lincolnshire and the country have done.
“By ignoring their staff they are ensuring that days of strike action are likely to take place that will inconvenience parents and affect pupils’ education. I believe that this is unfair and irresponsible.”
