Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by United Learning to reduce the pay of teaching assistants at Salisbury Manor Primary School in Waltham Forest whilst increasing their working hours; and of reports that they propose to introduce a "fire and rehire" policy which would cut the sick pay rights of teaching assistants by 50 per cent.

The department does not set pay, terms or conditions for non-teaching staff in schools. Employers have the freedom to make their own decisions according to their circumstances. Most schools follow the local government green book which sets out pay and conditions, and employers are required to pay at least the statutory minimum wage.

We cannot comment on individual cases, but the government has been consistently clear that we do not accept the inappropriate use by any employer of ‘fire and rehire’ as a negotiation tactic.

When employment disputes arise, the government wants to ensure that employers and employees are able to resolve them quickly and effectively. Last year, we asked the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to produce comprehensive, clear guidance so that employers can explore all the options before considering ‘fire and rehire’, and to encourage good employment relations practice. This guidance was published on 11 November and is available here: http://www.acas.org.uk/changecontract.