AEP ballot of Soulbury members on industrial action

After months of attempted negotiation between the Soulbury unions (AEP, NEU & Prospect) and the Local Government Association, the AEP has made the decision to hold a formal ballot of its Soulbury paid members working in local authorities.

Following discussion by the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Saturday 20 May, the AEP will hold a formal ballot on whether to take industrial action over the 2022 Soulbury pay offer. This decision has been made following an indicative ballot in which 80% of respondents said yes to taking industrial action. The NEC is recommending members vote yes to industrial action.

The current pay offer of an increase of £1925 amounts to between 2% and 5% for EPs, depending on current pay, and on average is around a 3% rise.

Commenting on the pay offer, Cath Lowther points out that the AEP has only taken industrial action a few times in its history but “cannot go on seeing the erosion of pay and the erosion of services”. She added: “Like other key workers, we have faced 13 years of significant real-terms pay cuts.

"Poor pay and conditions have resulted in an unprecedented recruitment and retention crisis, as workloads spiral and our wellbeing and the quality of services suffers.”

"The employers’ offer of 3 per cent at a time when inflation is around 10 per cent is another year where pay in real terms will be falling. With a combination of pay freezes and below-inflation increases from 2010 onwards, the real value of educational psychologists’ pay has been cut significantly."

The formal ballot will commence in the coming weeks and members will be contacted soon.