By David Young-
A-level and GCSE results could be delayed this summer after staff at the country’s largest exam board AQA voted in favour of strikes.
Members of the Unison union are planning to walk out over pay, having rejected a 3 % rise plus a £500 payment.
The disturbing scenario runs the risk of stopping pupils from getting some of their grades on results day , although AQA says it has procedures in place to ensure a strike would have no effect.
If grades are delayed pupils may have to call universities to beg for their place to be held or risk losing it..
Unison, which represents around 160 of the 1,200 staff at AQA, said the strike was backed by 71% A turnout threshold of 50%, needed to win ballots for strike action, was also reached.
Unison regional organiser Lizanne Devonport said: ‘Staff have demonstrated they’re clearly unhappy with the way they’re being treated.’
He said: “Our priority is always to make sure students get the results they deserve on time – and we have plans in place to make sure any industrial action wouldn’t affect that. It’s a shame that Unison is claiming otherwise, as this is wrong and only serves to needlessly frighten students and teachers.
“We’re giving our people a pay rise that’s affordable and higher than many organisations, so it’s disappointing we haven’t been able to reach an agreement with the unions. It’s clear that Unison doesn’t speak for the vast majority of our staff, as only around 5% of our workforce and well under half their own members have voted for industrial action.
“We’ve made exceptional concessions – so, after a lengthy dispute resolution process, we’re finally able to give our people the pay rise they’ve been waiting for since April, to help with rising living costs
AQA said pay rises would actually average 5.6 per cent and were ‘higher than many organisations’.
It came as Royal Mail managers and more rail workers also voted to strike.
TSSA members at Avanti West Coast voted in favour of walkouts by 86 per cent on a turnout of 66 per cent. No strike dates have been set in the pay dispute.
Unite said it would announce strike dates in the Royal Mail managers dispute in the coming days. It said the firm plans to cut 542 delivery managers’ jobs.
“The union will now discuss the results with the employer and branch before a decision is made about the next steps.”
Unison and Unite unions have rejected what they say is a three per cent pay increase and a £500 payment for staff at AQA and claim the organisation is “failing its staff and pupils by holding down pay.”
AQA said the average pay increase will be 5.6 per cent.
AQA said threats of disruption are “nonsense” and “designed to needlessly frighten students and teachers.” A spokesman for the exam board said it has plans in place to ensure industrial action would not impact results day
He said: “Our priority is always to make sure students get the results they deserve on time – and we have plans in place to make sure any industrial action wouldn’t affect that. It’s a shame that Unison is claiming otherwise, as this is wrong and only serves to needlessly frighten students and teachers.
“We’re giving our people a pay rise that’s affordable and higher than many organisations, so it’s disappointing we haven’t been able to reach an agreement with the unions. It’s clear that Unison doesn’t speak for the vast majority of our staff, as only around 5% of our workforce and well under half their own members have voted for industrial action.