SCHOOL support staff trapped in poverty in Wales today welcomed a ministerial commitment to tackle low pay.

Wales Education Secretary Lynne Neagle was speaking at the Unison Cymru launch of a report detailing how thousands of school support staff in Wales are being pushed into poverty.

The union said the current system for setting pay is failing support staff and called for a dedicated Wales negotiating body to tackle low pay.

Ms Neagle was responding to what she called “really powerful testimony from school support staff” and praised them for being “the glue that binds schools and children’s education together.”

The cabinet secretary said it was her top priority to tackle the issues, which included some of the medical work that support staff undertake, like fitting catheters, for which they are unpaid and untrained.

Ms Neagle said it was not possible to set up a negotiating body during this Senedd term.

But the minister said she has setup an urgent meeting next week with Unison Cymru, local government and Welsh government officials to lay the ground work to sort this out in the next Senedd after the May election.