Wirral Council SEND staff to strike over workload and pay

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at the Mallory Building in Birkenhead will be staging their first walkout this week followed by five more days until the end of the month in a dispute that Bora Oktas, NEU regional officer, said “could have been avoided if the employer had addressed the concerns raised by our members.”

Mr Oktas said: “Wirral Council has continuously failed to recognise our members’ workplace responsibilities and pay them accordingly.

"The SEND Team has been understaffed and under-resourced for many years, leaving staff members unable to provide the support they want to SEND children, young people, and their families.

"This ongoing issue has led to a significant impact on the wellbeing and effectiveness of the team.”

Mr Oktas added: “SEND team members feel that they are letting their families down every day due to the overwhelming number of cases they handle. For example, meeting the statutory deadline of 20 weeks for delivering a final EHCP is totally unachievable under their current work condition, with some staff members managing a surplus of 100 cases each.

"Despite their commitment, these dedicated staff members have been unsupported by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).”

Mike Farrelly, assistant branch secretary of Wirral NEU, said: “The pressures of trying to support the most vulnerable cohort of people in our Wirral community, while being under-resourced and unsupported, have left the SEND team members feeling they have no other option than to strike.

"The planned industrial action for the rest of the month is a stand against these untenable working conditions.”

Mr Farrelly added: “SEND team members hope that by making this stand, the SLT will recognise the very real impact that years of being overworked and highly stressed have had on staff members.

"It is crucial that immediate steps are taken to address these issues and provide the necessary support, resources, and pay to the SEND team.”

Peter Middleman, regional secretary of the NEU, said: “Taking strike action is always a last resort for our members, but they feel compelled to do so in order to be heard, leaving them with no choice but to take industrial action. We invite the employer back to the negotiation table to resolve this dispute.

"So far, the employer has shown no appetite for negotiation or compromise. We believe that through constructive dialogue, we can find a resolution that addresses the concerns of our members.”

The strike is the latest problem facing Wirral Council around its ability to provide SEND provision after the Department for Education published an improvement notice on May 15 ordering the local authority to take action due to “poor progress” in addressing ten areas of “significant concern” highlighted in a 2021 inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.

The 2021 report said the council had been “too slow,” its plans lacked “sufficient detail” while families and carers said “the system is broken.”

Wirral Council has been told it should have improved services by October 2025 or sooner but the notice will not be withdrawn “until sufficient progress has been evidenced.” If the council does not comply with the government’s notice, this could lead to government intervention to direct the council on how to improve services.

The local authority recently invested £1.1m into SEND services and senior council officers said they had made ”positive progress” since the notice was issued earlier this year. A council report published in September claimed progress was made in July with 26% of Education, Health and Care plans (ECHP) completed on time, up from 17% the previous month but well below a target of 75%.

An ECHP is a legal document that outlines the needs of a child or young person with SEND.  The care described in the plan must be provided by the local authority including any extra educational support.

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 within our SEND team that is designed to address many of the issues that are affecting SEND services nationally at this time, not just in Wirral.

“The restructure is part of additional 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 recruitment of additional staff.

“We have fully engaged with unions throughout this process and sought to address any concerns they have raised. This action is being taken by one union, with a small membership within the workforce, seeking a further assurance over pay protection for staff affected by the restructure.

“They have indicated six separate days of action - not a ‘three week strike’ as stated - and we estimate that fewer than five members of staff could potentially take part, so we are confident that any impact on families being supported with SEND services across Wirral will be minimal.”