Category: Newsletter

Dear friends,

After 10 long and difficult months, your dispute with Derby City Council has come to an end.

I know you will be relieved that this dispute is over at long last, and that they you can concentrate on the vital work you do helping children in Derby’s schools.

In total, you took 73 separate days of industrial action – including three weeks of all out action. Campaigning included rallies and demos (taking place everywhere from the Derby Council House to Parliament Square and Labour Party conference in Liverpool), an advan (which I had the pleasure to unveil),case studies, a day long vigil, media interviews, petitions and doorstep campaigning.

It was an honour to fight alongside you all at various stages of this phenomenal campaign – made possible by inspirational leadership from your branch.

Nicole and the whole branch team showed remarkable leadership, campaigned relentlessly and showed the honesty and determination necessary to lead such a vital campaign for our union. I know that Nicole has been involved in steering this dispute every step of the way and she will always have my gratitude, as I am sure she will have yours.

You can all go into your schools with your heads held high, knowing that the value of the work you do for children and schools has been recognised. But you will never forget the way that your branch and your whole union came together and won a better deal – and neither will I.

Yours,

Dave Prentis

General Secretary, UNISON

Strike action by our School Support Staff is to be suspended following a new offer from the city council.

We now recommend that all 1,200 members across the city’s schools accept the offer.

That offer will now be put to staff, and if they vote to accept the deal, the ten-month long dispute will come to an end.

Our School Support Staff will now return to work on Monday (20 March). They will be asked for their views in a ballot, which opens on Wednesday and ends on Wednesday 5 April 2017.

Commenting on the news, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Throughout this dispute, UNISON has made every effort to get an offer that would enable Derby school support staff to end their strike and go back to into school.”

“Staff from our head office and the regional team have been working hard to reach a settlement, and have been involved in lengthy negotiations with councillors to try to find a way through.

“From the very beginning, striking school employees have received an incredible amount of support from parents, pupils, teachers, head teachers and the public. That has been very much appreciated.

“It’s not been easy for anyone, but the huge pay cuts introduced last summer sadly left school support staff with no other choice. Now it’s time for them to have their say, meaning things could soon get back to normal.”

Nicole Berrisford Branch Secretary added that “I am really proud of our School Support Staff for standing up for and fighting for what is fair and just. This just shows how true the statement “Together We Are Stronger” is”.