ANGRY support staff at schools in Halstead and Braintree who were threatening to walk out in a row about pay have seen plans halted as a new offer is under consideration.

Staff at the Bridge Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools including Ramsey Academy and Richard de Clare, claim their pay is falling behind other schools.

The Trust also runs Acorn Academy, a large infant school in Witham, and Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form in Braintree.

One worker, who asked not to be named, said their latest pay rise had only been backdated to September instead of April.

"We are falling way behind other schools in Essex," they said.

"That's why support staff in the Bridge Academy Trust are being balloted over whether to go on strike.

"We should have had our annual increase from April 1 but they say we can only have it from September so they are holding quite a lot of our money back.

“This is the second year running so we are falling way behind.

"People now feel strong enough to be contemplating strike action in the new year."

A representative of the Unison union is understood to have gone to Ramsey Academy to speak to workers last Thursday.

The schools pay rates agreed at the National Joint Council, a national negotiating body made up of representatives from local government, school employers and staff unions. 

The NJC pay cycle is April to April, however, the Unison union says the trust has been paying September to September, meaning staff were getting the agreed rates five months later than staff in other employers.

The union said this year, the NJC agreed a flat-rate consolidated pay rise of £1,925 on every pay point, meaning a full-time BAT employee would be “around £800 worse off than a worker in another school in 2023”.

This only applies to 'green book' staff, support workers such as classroom assistants, finance officers, receptionists, caretakers and more, with teachers on a different set of terms negotiated separately by other unions.

However, these terms are now under review, and any possible strike action has been put on hold.

UNISON Eastern regional organiser Sam Older said: “Staff at Bridge have been preparing for a formal industrial action ballot over delays to pay rises which left them hundreds of pounds out of pocket each year.

“However, UNISON members are now considering an improved offer from the trust that may avert industrial action.”

The Bridge Academy Trust said it was unable to provide any comment at this stage.