EAST Lancashire primary school teachers are being forced to take on extra roles for nothing by heads looking to slash their wage bills, unions have claimed.

Teachers and union leaders have warned that staff including those in Accrington, Blackburn and Burnley schools, may walk out on their pupils if they continue to "be treated like second class citizens."

One Blackburn teacher, who asked not be named said: "These payments have not been made in my school yet and we are worried we will have to take on more and more responsibility but without being paid for it."

But headteachers today refuted the claims and education chiefs insist in the majority of cases school leaders were making the payments.

The dispute relates to Teaching and Learning Responsibilities (TLRs) payments which the government brought into force at the start of the year.

They are allocated for what the Department for Educational and Skills term 'significant additional teaching and learning responsibilities, which are beyond a teacher's own assigned pupils'.

Under the TLR scheme teaching staff at both primary and secondary level taking on extra responsibilities can be rewarded between £2,250 and £11,000 on top of their basic pay.

According to the NASUWT the majority of headteachers at East Lancashire's primary schools have failed to put job descriptions such as subject co-ordinators in place in a deliberate bid to avoid making the TLR payments and slash their wage bills.

Dick Greenfield, the union's Lancashire's executive member said unless the payments were forthcoming his members would strike this summer with teachers across the UK.He said:"Under the payments any teachers who take on these extra responsibilities are supposed to receive these TLRs. Under the old management allowances it was more of a grey area but under this scheme it clearly states that it applies to both primary and secondary schools.

"But primary school teachers including those from Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and other parts of East Lancashire are saying that is mostly not being done.

"These allowances include teachers who are in charge of certain parts of the curriculum such as maths.

"Their roles range from anything from organising work patterns, overseeing departments, attending governors meetings to preparing for visits of Ofsted inspectors."

He added: "Primary school teachers continue to be treated like second class citizens."

But the union's claims were rejected by school heads - including Liz Beaumont, at Cedars Infant School, Blackburn.

She said: "The restructuring has been implemented at this school and these TLRs encourage teachers work to be rewarded and I think most headteachers would take this view."

Dave Hollings, Blackburn with Darwen's executive member for education said it was a matter for individual schools but stressed: "As far as I'm aware there were no schools in the borough which failed to meet the (TLR) deadline."