Management Information Sheet

Schools will be aware of potential strike action on 10 July by members of the following unions: NUT, Unison and possibly ( unknown at time of publication) GMB and Unite.

The NUT action arises from previous ballots in respect of teachers' pension scheme and teachers pay and conditions.

In separate action, Unison have balloted members on strike action in respect of this year's pay award and the result of that ballot is in favour of strike action (although no formal notification of strike action has yet been received.) GMB and Unite are balloting on the same issue, results yet to be published.

So the indication is that there is likely to be strike action in schools, by both support staff and teaching staff, on 10 July 2014.

The purpose of this MI sheet is to offer information and guidance to all schools and academies on planning for the strike day. The major difference this time is that more unions are involved and the impact on staffing is likely to be greater than the previous action in March 2013, which involved just the NUT.

Schools will want to prepare for potential strike action and will be considering the possibility of remaining open to pupils during strike action, on the understanding that there is appropriate leadership in place, that pupils are safe and that statutory requirements are met.

Schools will consider the services they deliver and assess the risk to each of those services as a result of the strike action. If resources are adversely affected by the strike, remaining resources and effort may need to be focussed on the highest priority areas. Some key messages for all schools and academies are listed below.

Key Messages

(See the Norfolk Schools site for more detailed information)

• Only members of unions with a mandate for action may take strike action. At the time of writing, the NUT has given an indication that strike action is likely on 10 July, the Unison ballot is in favour of strike action, and GMB and Unite have yet to receive the outcome of their ballots.
• School leaders will want to remain open to pupils wherever possible, to continue to meet statutory requirements, and to ensure heath and safely arrangements are in place. Schools will need to carry out appropriate risk assessments in order to evaluate the situation. The decision to remain open or to close rests with the school leadership team, including the governing body.
• If the school must close, there must be a written risk assessment in place and parents, carers and providers should be informed as soon as possible and as far in advance of the strike date as possible.
• It is essential that notification of closure, whether planned or whole, is entered using the Emergency School Closures system in the My school section on the Norfolk Schools website. That entry can be amended if necessary and will not be published or made public before the day of the strike.
• Staff on strike are in breach of their contract and will have pay deducted for each day of the strike. School leaders need to take appropriate action to ensure the pay is deducted. For schools and academies that buy a payroll service from Norfolk County Council, established arrangements are in place- see Norfolk Schools site .
• Schools and academies who do not buy a payroll HR service from Norfolk County Council will need to put arrangements in place to ensure absences on the day are recorded and deductions made if strike action has been taken.

Further information

See the Norfolk Schools site .

For those establishments that buy an HR service from Norfolk County Council, further advice and guidance is available from HR Direct on 01603 222212.