About 1,000 members of the GMB union in schools across Merton and Greenwich are engaged in a dispute over what they believe is a historic underpayment of London weighting. Support staff are paid at the same rate as teachers in the same schools, which could result in a difference of more than £1,000 for some staff. The union is seeking to be paid using the council's general fund without permission from the secretary of state for education. There are also five other areas affected by this disparity.