Strike action comes to an end as Staffordshire school bosses and union reach agreement
Days of strike action has come to an end following in Staffordshire schools that affected thousands of pupils attending county academies as an agreement has been reached.
Six schools were closed, including St Michael's CE Primary and St Chad's CE Primary, both in Lichfield, following a dispute was over compulsory redundancies at schools in Lichfield, Tamworth and Birmingham run by the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.
Sutton Coldfield based Arthur Terry Trust said at the time 13 other schools were partially closed due to the National Education Union (NEU) actions and five of its schools were fully open and operating during the row earlier this month.
However, both parties appear to have found common ground and ended the strike action as they "fundamentally agreed on the vital importance of children attending school."
A joint statement from ATLP and the NEU said: " “Both the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) and the National Education Union (NEU) are fundamentally agreed on the vital importance of children attending school. We are therefore very pleased to say that, after constructive discussions between ATLP leaders and NEU representatives, we have secured an agreement that brings the industrial action of recent weeks to an end.
"All ATLP schools will be open next week and beyond to all children and young people.“The NEU raised several important challenges, which ATLP has responded to positively by adjusting its plans to secure the trust’s financial recovery. The new position has been accepted by NEU members.
"ATLP has agreed to pause all current restructuring and redundancy consultations, will take every step possible so that any future compulsory redundancies are a last resort, and has committed to reviewing central trust costs so that additional funding can be directed to schools.
“Both parties recognise the significant financial challenges facing ATLP and agree that action must be taken to ensure the financial recovery of the trust. Therefore we will together attend weekly meetings to assess the financial situation, agree the plan to tackle the deficit, and monitor progress.
"NEU representatives and ATLP leaders agree that this transparent, open and collaborative approach will mean the financial challenges can be addressed most effectively. We will actively seek staff and parent input to the decision-making process.
“ATLP and the NEU recognise that no staff take the decision to go on strike lightly, and that industrial action causes disruption, especially to children and young people, and their families. All parties welcome the establishment of a constructive relationship and look forward to working closely to address and tackle the issues together.”
