Wirral Council’s SEND Team will begin a three-week-long strike from tomorrow amid a dispute over workload and pay.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at the Mallory Building in Birkenhead will be staging their first walkout on Wednesday to be followed by 5 more days until the end of the month in a dispute that Bora Oktas, NEU regional officer, said “could have been avoided if the employer had addressed the concerns raised by our members.”
Mr Oktas continued: “Wirral Council has continuously failed to recognise our members’ workplace responsibilities and pay them accordingly. The SEND Team has been understaffed and under-resourced for many years, leaving staff members unable to provide the support they want to SEND children, young people, and their families. This ongoing issue has led to a significant impact on the wellbeing and effectiveness of the team.”
Mr Oktas further added: “SEND team members feel that they are letting their families down every day due to the overwhelming number of cases they handle. For example, meeting the statutory deadline of 20 weeks for delivering a final EHCP is totally unachievable under their current work condition, with some staff members managing a surplus of 100 cases each. Despite their commitment, these dedicated staff members have been unsupported by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).”
Mike Farrelly, assistant branch secretary of Wirral NEU, said: “The pressures of trying to support the most vulnerable cohort of people in our Wirral community, while being under-resourced and unsupported, have left the SEND team members feeling they have no other option than to strike. The planned industrial action for the rest of the month is a stand against these untenable working conditions.”
Mr Farrelly continued: “SEND team members hope that by making this stand, the SLT will recognise the very real impact that years of being overworked and highly stressed have had on staff members. It is crucial that immediate steps are taken to address these issues and provide the necessary support, resources, and pay to the SEND team.”
Peter Middleman, regional secretary of the NEU, said: “Taking strike action is always a last resort for our members, but they feel compelled to do so in order to be heard, leaving them with no choice but to take industrial action. We invite the employer back to the negotiation table to resolve this dispute. So far, the employer has shown no appetite for negotiation or compromise. We believe that through constructive dialogue, we can find a resolution that addresses the concerns of our members.”
Striking council staff who ‘love’ their job say it’s ‘the worst it has ever been’ – Liverpool Echo