Striking council workers who 'love' their job say it's 'the worst it's ever been'

The strike is over pay, but workers said stressful workloads were causing them to take sick leave and saying they “can’t do this anymore.”

Wirral Council SENDS staff picket in Birkenhead(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Wirral Council staff who went on strike today have attacked the local authority over proposed pay cuts and labor pressure. Frustrated workers supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) said they were “devastated” to have reached the point of leaving their jobs.

Eight staff joined a National Education Union (NEU) picket in heavy rain outside the local authority’s new Birkenhead office in Alice Ker Square this morning (Wednesday).

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The NEU claimed the dispute and six-day strike could have been avoided if Wirral Council had addressed concerns raised by members. Five more days of action are expected over a three-week period.

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The strike is linked to pressure on the local authority’s SEND department as it seeks to comply with an improvement notice issued by the government earlier this year. He said the council had made little progress following a critical inspection in 2021 which concluded the council had been “too slow”, its plans lacked “sufficient detail”, while families and carers said “the system is broken”.

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The ECHO was informed that there was high staff turnover in the SEND team as a result of workload pressures, and that staff were regularly absent due to stress due to illness, with one union member unable to attend due to being absent from work for health reasons. They said each team member “has experienced work-related stress and the mental and physical impact it has on a person.”

The NEU requested three years of pay protection for staff as part of a planned restructuring, but Wirral Council offered staff 18 months of pay protection. This offer was reportedly accepted by the Unison union, which also represents workers in the SEND team.

Staff represented by the NEU said they felt they were not being respected by the council’s current senior leadership and argued that the council was at risk of losing experienced staff at a time when it needed them. Many said they had family members with SEND, describing their work as “a calling rather than a job”, with training in education and as teachers.

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Picket officials today said they feel they are letting families down with a large number of cases, leading to delays. One worker said: “I feel like I can’t help anyone in the position I’m in,” while another staff member said the experience at work was “the worst it’s ever been.” we do, but it’s heartbreaking that it’s come to this.”

A Wirral Council spokesperson said: “Wirral Council is committed to putting children and families first as we continue to improve our SEND provision. We are in the process of implementing a restructure across our SEND team which is designed to address many of the issues that are affecting SEND services nationally at the moment, not just in Wirral.

“The restructuring is part of further investment in SEND services by Wirral Council – £1.1m this year and £2.8m next year – to improve the support offered to young people and their families and includes the recruitment of additional staff. We have fully engaged with the unions throughout this process and have sought to address any concerns they have raised.”

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The council recently approved a £1.1 million investment in SEND services, but the new team is not expected to be in place until January. However, current staff said a staff restructure announced in recent months means they will still be expected to carry out the same workload in the meantime, but on lower pay, as some staff see their pay bands fall.

Staff held up posters accusing the local authority of failing staff and families with calls for more support(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

One member of staff on the picket line said today: “We are the ones still carrying the entire SEND team. Every child with an EHCP (education, health and care plan) is our responsibility and we have less support than ever before. any health support.”

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They added: “Every SEND child matters. Today I will miss phone calls from desperate parents.

“I can’t be there (at work) today because of the situation we find ourselves in. They said the impact is minimal, but I wonder what the families would say about that.

SENDCOs or SEND coordinators are teachers in schools who work with children with SEND to support them.

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The employee added: “We were pushed here because although there was finally investment in the team, this was after years and years of asking for help and not getting it, working on many cases, getting stressed and letting families down,” adding: “We are extremely happy with more employees coming in, but employees who have been around for so long are taking a financial hit.”

The council received a warning earlier this year, which staff said increased pressure(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)

Some employees are reportedly handling more than 100 cases at once. One worker told the ECHO he is struggling to look after his own family while trying to manage his workload, adding: “You feel guilty because you’re not doing your job, but you’re also not supporting your own family. enough.”

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NEU regional officer Bora Oktas said the current situation was unsustainable as staff felt neglected, ignored and disregarded and more would leave. He said a staff member recently left because he “couldn’t carry on any longer.”

He said: “It’s quite challenging because families are quite emotional. They want the best for their children,” adding: “It’s a stressful job. You suffer a lot of abuse and stress as part of this job. Treating staff like this is an abomination.” “

The issue of improvements to SEND services is expected to come before the council’s education committee this evening, October 16. In a message to councillors, staff said: “We want to support our SEND families, but Wirral Council has to support us to do this,” adding: “They should value people who have been in the role longer.

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“We are so desperate for it to be better for our families and we are disappointed that they won’t meet us halfway. This is what we need people to know. I can’t just drop all my cases tomorrow when I’m in a lower grade. They’re asking me to do the job I was doing, but for less pay.”