MORE than 20 staff at a Wirral school have called off strike action set for tomorrow.

The 21 teaching assistants (TAs) and play workers at Woodchurch Road Primary School in Oxton, had voted for a one-day walkout over plans to cut their hours and pay by up to 20%.

The proposal would have seen some lose as much as £3,885 in pay per year.

But Wirral Unison, which represents the workers, said the strike has now been suspended after Wirral Council scrapped the pay cut for six play workers and delayed any decision on pay for 15 TAs until July next year.

The school is currently suffering money problems and is running a budget deficit.

Last week, Wirral Council gave its view on how the deficit has built up.

A spokesperson said: "There are a number of issues which have contributed to the financial position at Woodchurch Road Primary.

"These include a significant fall in pupil numbers at the school, which means a lower level of funding from the Department for Education, and a delay in reporting the financial position to the headteacher and governors.

"The delay was not the cause of the deficit, but it meant that corrective action could not be taken sooner."

Lois Founds, Wirral Unison’s deputy branch secretary, said that as well as dropping the pay cut proposals the local authority has made a clear commitment to work with the union to address the problems at Woodchurch Road Primary and alleviate the need for future cuts.

Ms Founds added that her union wants to help the school turn around its fortunes for the good of teachers, pupils and the local community.

Wirral Council was approached for comment, but did not respond by the time of publication.