‘We are working multiple jobs’: Camden teaching assistants strike for pay and education

Teaching assistants on the picket line (Pic: Guy Smallman)

Teaching assistants (TAs) at a north London primary school made their demands clear on the picket line on Friday with chants of, “What do we want? Fair pay! When do we want it? Now!”

Unison union members at Primrose Hill Primary School in Camden walked out for four days on Tuesday in a fight over pay.

They are demanding to be regraded to get paid properly for the work they do. This would mean just 23p more an hour but would make a huge difference to their lives.

On the final day of this round of strikes on Friday, TAs on the picket line remained determined to fight bosses and demand their due.

Despite being some of the lowest paid workers, they do some of the most difficult and crucial work supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in the school.

TAs who work in The Grove, a specialised autistic resourced provision (ARP) unit within the school spoke to Socialist Worker about the essential work that they do. The Grove provides tailored education for children with autism.

“We have been trained to deliver personalised plans and tailored learning for children with autism,” one of the TAs said. “Because we work in the Grove, it’s all one-to-one support so we have really close relationships with our kids.

“We’re these children’s key workers—their safe people. Children with autism don’t do well with change, so having agency workers in there just isn’t going to work. Our children need continuity.

“If management really cared about the education of children then they would not be making out that we are replaceable—or that it is a job that anyone could do. It shows how much they know about what the children need.”

Another one of the TAs in the Grove said she was working multiple jobs to afford her rent. “I’m working here and then in the evening I have a second job. It’s exhausting,” she said. “We work in a professional field, we should be able to cover our costs with that job alone.”

She added that the outpouring of solidarity has kept them steadfast. “We’ve been rewarded each day with the support we’re getting from the parents and the kids,” she said. “It shows how much we’re valued and how much they are behind us.”

One pupil had come to school with a sign reading “Pay the TAs. They help us grow and play” to lots of applause. Another pupil had started their own petition in the school and managed to get almost a hundred kids to sign.

They have had incredible support from other workers at the school. On Thursday, all the Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) joined the picket lines in solidarity, and on Friday all the office staff did the same.

There was plenty of support for the strike on the picket line from other Unison branches around London too. A win can act as an inspiration for TAs in other boroughs who should be on a higher pay grade for the work they do.

Not far away, TAs at Richard Cobden Primary School in Camden struck last year and this year over the same issue. Both schools plan to be on strike during the week of 11 to 15 May, when students will sit the Sats tests.

This is a very significant escalation of the dispute and will send a really strong clear message to both the council and the senior management. They won’t back down until their pay reflects their worth.

• Get down to a picket line to show solidarity and send messages of support to [email protected]