Staff at the exam board AQA are to stage a 72-hour strike over pay, which union leaders say could make thousands of GCSE and A-level results late.
Members of Unison will strike for three days, from Friday 29 July to Sunday 31 July. The union said the action was likely to escalate unless talks were reopened.
Many of the staff involved are struggling to make ends meet after successive below-inflation pay awards, Unison said. Staff were given an increase of 0.6% last year, with 3% offered this year, which Unison said was a real-terms pay cut.
Lizanne Devonport, a Unison official, said the staff had been left with “no other option” but to strike.
“Pay has been falling behind prices for years and 3% isn’t a wage rise; with costs spiralling it’s a pay cut,” she said. “Things are so bad staff are fearful they will no longer be able to make ends meet.
“Workers only strike as a last resort. They’d rather be doing the jobs that they’re proud of. They don’t want to disrupt students and know how important exam results are to them.”
