In 2017 the National Education Union (NEU) voluntarily entered into an agreement with the unions recognised for bargaining on behalf of local government and school’s workers. All the trade unions in that agreement are members of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Trade unions that affiliate to the TUC agree to behave in accordance with a set of principles that govern their relationships with other unions. These rules are designed to prevent existing recognition and bargaining agreements from being undermined.
The NEU repeatedly and deliberately breached the 2017 agreement signed by the four unions, and a previous Award made by a TUC Disputes Committee in 2023. Both the agreement and the TUC Award made clear that there are only three recognised school support staff unions, and the NEU should not organise that group of workers.
Earlier this year, the three recognised school support staff unions, GMB, UNISON and Unite, submitted a second formal complaint to the TUC about the NEU’s continued organising activities and recruitment of school support staff, and their publicly stated intention to continue with these activities.
In September 2025, the TUC issued its new judgement. Once again, the complaint of the NJC Unions was upheld.
The judgement reaffirmed that the school support staff unions (GMB, UNISON and Unite) have exclusive bargaining rights for school support staff, and that the NEU will not be part of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body. It also explicitly stated that the NEU should not actively organise or recruit school support staff.
UNISON is the only trade union for support staff in Local Authority controlled schools granted recognition by West Sussex County Council.
This decision matters because it protects your right to be represented by the unions that are officially recognised to negotiate on your behalf. UNISON continues to focus on improving pay, job security, and recognition for school support staff, ensuring your voice is heard where it counts.