SOUTHAMPTON City Council has refused to meet workers’ leaders to prevent a school strike going ahead tomorrow, the National Education Union (NEU) claims.

Union members at Valentine Primary school in the city are set to walk out tomorrow against possible redundancies and concerns over increased workload.

The union’s leadership say that they want to avoid the strike but have claimed the council is refusing to discuss longstanding issues of underfunding with them.

NEU regional officer James Ellis said: “We have repeatedly offered to meet with the council because we think there are areas where agreement can be reached.

“We are clear that it is the council that has the influence and ability to end the dispute but our efforts to get them round a table together with school leaders are being rebuffed.”  

The council had not responded to requests for comment by the time the Star went to press.