Dear Newton News, With reference to your recent article ‘Council Increase Teaching Assistants Compensation’ First it is not compensation but our wage that they are giving back to us. They are merely delaying the implementation date, if you leave within this time you will have to pay back the ‘compensation’. This delay can allow schools to consider the roles of teaching assistants, surely they know what we do, we work there. It may in turn trigger regrading or re-evaluation equally it may not. If the whole process is about equality and fairness, then regrade all TAs. If as Jane Brown says she has met with unions at least once a week it’s the first I’ve heard of this, unions have given us some update but not that frequently. They also kept the meeting in July a secret, why?  Bringing Durham into line with other councils, it may, but they regraded staff.  The Mayor of Aycliffe Jed Hilary voted for the cuts to the TAs salary in the consultation, it wont be forgotten come the next council elections. It seems our Labour Council is doing the job of the Tories for them. A very unhappy TA. Name & address supplied