Teachers' strike dispute is finally resolved at Horncastle schools
No more strikes are proposed at two schools in Horncastle after a bitter dispute between teachers and management was finally resolved.
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School and Banovallum School were hit by industrial action earlier this year after teaching unions blasted plans for job losses and cuts within the Horncastle Education Trust.
Teachers branded the plans “catastrophic” and claimed they would raise the pressure on their workloads to intolerable levels, damaging the education of children.
The unions also labelled redundancy procedures “unfair and draconian” and said the trust had “failed to consult meaningfully” with them.
The trust insisted the plans were necessary as part of a wholesale restructure after it faced “increasing financial challenges”.
The upshot was deadlock and seven days of strikes since May which triggered disruption for 1,600 pupils within the two schools and two others run by the trust, Huttoft Primary and New York and Frithville Primary in Boston.
However, light at the end of the tunnel emerged last month when industrial action was paused indefinitely after constructive talks, which involved the third-party mediation service, Acas.
And now, following “numerous negotiation meetings”, the dispute is over after a vote by members of the National Education Union (NEU) and NASUWT, the Teachers’ Union, to agree to the trust’s latest suggestions.
A joint statement by the unions said the trust had promised:
A TRADE union recognition agreement, meaning regular negotiations between union representatives and the employer;
NO compulsory redundancies;
SPECIALIST teachers to continue teaching their subjects;
A REDUCED workload for teachers by removing unnecessary tasks;
A MINIMUM 13 per cent of work time devoted to planning, preparation and assessment for all teachers;
AND IMPROVED relationships between leaders and staff at Huttoft Primary.
The dispute took a curious twist during the summer when it was revealed that the trust is soon to be disbanded in its current form, with the schools switching to a new and bigger trust in the coming months.
As part of the agreement, the trust has promised to negotiate with unions and staff regarding the transition.
A spokesperson for the NEU said: “Members are positive they have secured a formal means of having their voices heard through the joint union recognition agreement across all four schools in the Horncastle Education Trust.
"We would like to thank the local communities that our schools operate in for their support during picket lines.
"Special thanks to our students and parents for their understanding as education staff have tried to make positive changes for the young people attending our local schools.
"While staff are still reporting high workloads, it is pleasing that we have had some success in improving the education at our schools.”
Sandra James, chief executive officer of the trust, thanked “all those involved for working proactively with the trust and securing an outcome which is best for our young people and our colleagues”.
She added: “Everyone involved shares the same fundamental priority of providing the best possible education for our pupils.
"We will continue working with our union colleagues to fulfil the agreements reached and ensure our schools can focus on supporting their pupils, staff and wider communities.”
A third union, Unison, also has members, such as teaching assistants, midday supervisors, administration staff and caretakers, working at the schools. Its spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the dispute has been resolved.
"We look forward to a positive, new relationship, with meaningful consultation and staff voices at the heart of future changes.”