Wigan Council child psychologists vote for industrial action in a row over pay

Members of the Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) in England and Wales have voted decisively in favour of measures.

Voting took place in each local authority area, with 66.67 per cent of Wigan town hall workers saying “yes” to action.

Sent postal ballot papers, members in 86.6 per cent of local authorities met the participation threshold for the ballot and elected for industrial action.

The union’s executive recommended that members should vote “yes” to action, saying that the pay offer, amounting to an average of a three per cent pay rise for many educational psychologists, amounts to a real terms cut at a time when inflation had been running at more than 11 per cent and remains just under seven per cent.

The AEP says the decline in pay and conditions has led to a recruitment and retention crisis, causing spiralling workloads, leading to long wait times for children, young people and families who need support.

Since the results, the AEP executive has been meeting to discuss what form the industrial action could take.

However, the employers’ side have also sent a revised and improved pay offer, which the AEP and its members will now consider before deciding next steps.

Dr Cath Lowther, general secretary of the AEP, said: “Our members have said loud and clear that our children deserve to see an educational psychologist when they need to. They have turned out in significant numbers to vote yes to industrial action and to save local authority educational psychology services.

“It is clear that our campaign and the strength of feeling from our members, which has been reflected in the strike ballot, has been heard by the employers and we welcome the revised pay offer which we have just received. We will consider this offer before deciding on our next steps.

“Every year, tens of thousands of children and young people and their families are helped by an educational psychologist (EP). Despite the vital services and support provided by EPs, local authorities have not invested in the profession and now face widespread recruitment and retention problems.

"The resulting rise in EP workloads means that children and young people are waiting far too long to be seen by an EP – or worse, don’t get to see an EP at all.

"We need local authorities to stem the workforce exodus and make sure our children have access to the specialist support that EPs offer, when they need it.”

A spokesperson for Wigan Council said: “The union Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) recently balloted Wigan Council members for industrial action, in response to the national pay offer. The unions official ‘report of voting’ confirmed ballot thresholds had been met for future industrial action. 60 per cent of the 15 employees eligible to vote did so as part of the ballot with 66.67 per cent voting in favour of industrial action.

“I can confirm however that we have not yet received notice from the AEP of the dates upon which any industrial action is intended to take place.”