LATEST SSSNB NEWS

The working parties of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) are now in full swing. The Core Contract and Working Year Working Group (CCWYWG) , The Role Profile and Job Measurement Working Group (RPJMWG) and the Executive Group are now meeting every few weeks and are getting down to the detail of what a new school pay and conditions framework might look like. The CCWYWG has been working its way through the clauses of a draft contract but is still grappling with the implications of moving to a full year contract for all, rather than retaining a formula approach.

This is a complex task as the group is trying to reach a common understanding of what is possible. The employers and unions are both presenting option papers to reinforce their particular positions and it is clear that legal advice will need to be taken on issues such as holiday pay and how it is expressed, whatever the final outcome. The trade union side wants the contract to reflect the all year school employment of support staff and for job evaluation to determine the size and demand of a role over a calendar year. The employers continue to press for a notional salary with a pro-rata formula to arrive at actual pay. Apart from the central issue of working weeks, weekly hours and holidays, there are many other elements of the contract which have to be thrashed out.

A training and development clause in the contract has been under discussion and championed by the Training and Development Agency for Schools. There are issues around additional payments, for example, special needs allowance, which is currently treated differently across authorities. Certain groups, like premises staff, have particular contractual variations and the issue of tied accommodation. The group has discussed pension implications, advised by LGPS experts and now sick pay is on the agenda.

The RPJMWG has been scoping out the work which has to take place to create new job families, with role profiles and a system for matching jobs to them. It is clear that a great deal of expert support will be needed and funding it must be agreed.

UNISON's national schools committee met on 24th September and agreed the importance of keeping members in touch with SSSNB work. A dedicated webpage will go live soon, with more to communicate as the detailed negotiations develop. The new body talks need to be discussed by school members and organisers in regions are planning programmes of school visits and meetings to brief them and listen to other school concerns.

Further info about the SSSNB can be found at www.sssnb.org.uk