Glasgow school worker BITTEN by pupil days after learning of pay cut

The support for learning worker, who is employed at a school in Glasgow's Southside, has said she feels "undervalued" and "deflated" after learning that her pay will drop as part of the local authority's new pay and grading scheme.

The scheme was designed to address long-running equal pay claims but has left around 11% of staff facing reduced wages.

The school worker, who wishes to remain anonymous, was bitten by a child on the day she spoke to the Glasgow Times. 

She said: "We knew there was going to be a restructure and we've known for a while that was happening, but in no way did we think that it was going to result in us having a reduced payment.

"We fully expected that our wages would rise due to the demanding needs, and that's just not been the case.

"I just feel completely deflated. I feel undervalued. I feel as if they just think that I'm an extra pair of hands in a classroom. And I'm not. I'm the one who's taking these children out. I'm de-escalating them. I'm sitting with them. They're throwing toys. They could be throwing chairs."

The worker explained that her wage will be staying the same, but an allowance she receives for carrying out personal care, such as changing nappies, is being cut by more than £50 a month. 

Those who receive an allowance for other duties, including first aid, are in the same position. 

The worker said: "My wages have been cut for the fact that I do personal care.

"So who's going to come in and do the personal care? Because it certainly won’t be me; I'm not being paid for that now.

"Support for learning workers don't get paid anywhere near what we should as it is.

"Teachers get paid three times my salary. But we're putting up with the same carry-on in schools.

"We’re getting hit, we’ve been punched, kicked, spat at; I was bitten today at my work."

The revised pay and grading system affects staff across the council, including those in roads, parks, cleansing and schools.

More than 14,000 employees will receive a pay rise, but around 2000 are expected to see their wages fall.

The worker said the change will affect her daily life, because "everything else is going up in price, but my pay is going down".

She added: "It sends a message of 'well, we actually don't value the role that you do.'

"I think it's time to speak out; I've put up with so much in school, and nobody’s listening.

"I have asked politicians to come and join me in the school and shadow me and see what I do in a day, and I've had no response apart from 'I'm going to look into this.'

"And it's the same generic response you get all the time, but none of these people want to come into schools to actually see what we’re dealing with."

The local authority said the changes were necessary to address pay inequalities.

A council spokesman said: "Glasgow City Council’s pay and grading scheme is discriminatory – it does not always reward equal work with equal pay.

"We need to replace it with a new scheme and last month we agreed we would do so in April 2027.

"When we do so, over 85% of our employees whose posts have been evaluated will see their pay increase.

"Although a minority of around 11% will face a loss, we recognise the impact that will have and have committed to protecting their pay until April 2028."

The new scheme follows eight years of negotiations with trade unions and is part of the council's efforts to resolve an equal pay dispute that has cost around £770 million in compensation, mostly to women in lower-paid roles.

The scheme was approved by the council’s City Administration Committee in August, with support from SNP and Green councillors, while Labour voted against it.

We previously reported that some staff 'walked out' after being told they would be losing thousands.