Merton Council values the vital contribution school support staff make to the education and wellbeing of children in Merton.
The GMB union is balloting school support staff on 27 February to strike in relation to the differential between support staff and teaching staff pay, specifically in respect of Inner and Outer London Weighting.
We have been engaging constructively with union representatives on this issue affecting a number of outer London boroughs, for over a year and remain committed to continuing those discussions in good faith.
The GMB argues the pay differential should be made up out of the councils’ General Funds. School support staff pay in maintained schools is not set at local level, it is governed by the National Joint Council. This is a national collective agreement negotiated with recognised trade unions, including the GMB.
The council cannot lawfully subsidise school budgets from its General Fund.
The national government recognises the issue. That’s why the Schools Staff Negotiating Body (SSNB) was set up in 2025. The first potential outcomes from the negotiating body is expected in 2027-28 at the earliest. We believe this is the best route to resolving the pay dispute.
The council has written to all school support staff, and to the GMB outlining this position.
Until then, the council is urging unions to call off its strike action and minimise any impact on children and families, while a lawful, fair and sustainable solution, at national level, is found.
Open letter to school support staff from Cllr Ross Garrod, Leader of Merton Council
Dear School Support Staff Member,
The work that you and other non-teaching staff do in Merton’s schools is hugely valued by all of us at Merton Council. You make an important contribution to the lives and learning of Merton children, and your work has been vital in ensuring that every school in Merton is rated Good or Outstanding.
I know that the GMB is balloting school support staff in Merton on strike action concerning the differential between inner and outer London weighting for teaching and non-teaching staff. This is a matter of concern for non-teaching staff in several London boroughs, and one that we take very seriously. I believe that it is vital that the contribution of school support staff is recognised with fair pay and a clear structure for career development, and you have my full support in seeking to achieve that.
However, resolving this pay differential is not within the Council’s control, despite claims to the contrary. All school support staff salaries are paid from the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which is funding provided by central government to support schools. The DSG is separate from the Council’s wider budget (the General Fund), which pays for the services residents receive. The GMB recognises the pressure on the DSG but has suggested that we use money from the General Fund to increase school support staff salaries. Unfortunately, the law does not allow us to use the General Fund to supplement school budgets. This means we cannot use Council funds to increase salaries, and fair pay for school support staff can only be secured through a national agreement.
It is therefore welcome that the Government is now taking national action to ensure the work of school support staff is recognised and supported. The Employment Rights Act, which became law at the end of last year, has established the Schools Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). This body will work exclusively for school support staff and ensure access to a core set of terms and conditions, as well as a training and career development framework. We will be writing to the SSSNB to highlight the specific issue affecting Outer London.
The work of the SSSNB is expected to take effect in 2027–28. I understand that you would want an earlier resolution, but for the reasons outlined above, this is not something that can be resolved locally.
Throughout this process, our Executive Director of Children, Lifelong Learning and Families has met regularly with GMB representatives. As you will see from the enclosed letter from the Chief Executive to the GMB, we are now seeking formal mediation to resolve this dispute and hope that this offer will be accepted.
Please be assured that you have the continued support and appreciation of the Council.
With very best wishes,
Councillor Ross Garrod
Leader of the Council
Open letter to Alex Etches, GMB Regional Convenor from Hannah Doody, Chief Executive of Merton Council
Dear Alex,
I am writing to you regarding the dispute concerning the pay of Merton’s school support staff. I understand that the GMB is balloting your members on strike action concerning the differential between school support staff and teaching staff within Merton schools with regard to Outer and Inner London Weighting. Your local representatives have been meeting on a bi-monthly basis with our Executive Director of Children, Lifelong Learning, and Families on this matter for the past year, which I hope shows our commitment to this staff group and to resolving this issue.
Firstly, I want to reiterate our appreciation for the contribution of our school support staff to the lives and learning of Merton children. We regret that you are taking this action, and I know that your members will take very seriously any decision that could impact on the education and wellbeing of children in their care. Therefore, I believe it is imperative that we work together to reach a solution through conciliation or mediation.
As you know, in relation to the schools where the Council is the employer, the Council pays staff in accordance with the NJC Agreement, a collective agreement that was agreed with, the GMB Union and others. Part 3 of that collective agreement includes Pay and Grading, and the Agreement sets out a route to modifications to terms and conditions, including Pay and Grading, and also a course of action where agreement is not possible. Part 3 is set out below:
PART 3: Other national provisions which may be modified by local negotiation. The party proposing change must state in writing what changes are sought and why and the parties must then seek to reach agreement, normally within three months. Where agreement is not possible, either party may refer the failure to agree to the provincial joint secretaries (or other mutually agreed persons) for conciliation. If the provincial conciliation is unsuccessful, the provincial secretaries may recommend further procedures for resolution of the difference, including external conciliation, mediation or binding ACAS arbitration. The above procedures should if possible be completed normally within a further three months.
Secondly, I would like to note, in the light of assertions from the GMB that Merton Council could cover the increased costs of schools staff salaries from the Council’s General Fund, that the law states very clearly that councils are not permitted to subsidise schools budgets (paid from the Dedicated Schools Grant) from the Council’s General Fund, which covers the cost of the other services that residents receive. Were we to do so, we would be in breach of the law.
I would also like to note that the issues raised by the GMB are of wider application beyond the Council’s area and are thus more properly dealt with as part of the negotiation of the next version of the National Agreement. There are several local authorities in London who are affected by the same issue, and any decision we make in this case would have impacts on other boroughs.
Merton Council hugely appreciates the work done by school support staff and appreciates the significant contribution they make to the learning and well-being of Merton children. We also appreciate that there are long-standing discrepancies between the terms and conditions of teaching and non-teaching staff in schools, which need to be resolved at a national level. This is why we welcome the establishment of the Schools Staff Negotiating Body in the Employment Rights Act, which received Royal Assent on December 18th 2025. The Government anticipates that school support staff will continue to be covered by their existing arrangements in the 2026 to 2027 financial year, and that the first outcomes from the SSSNB will arise in the 2027 to 2028 financial year at the earliest.
We appreciate that all school support staff, not just those in Merton, would like an earlier resolution, but that resolving this locally is not in the gift of the council. However, we feel that mediation and conciliation are the best way forward for your members, and for Merton children, and would urge you to work with us to reach a solution.
This letter has been shared with school support staff in Merton, along with a letter to them from the Leader of the Council, which I enclose.
Yours sincerely,
Hannah Doody
Chief Executive