teachers to go on strike

[Foogirl]

When the firemen striked over pay everyone was very supportive of them even though it put lives at risk

I didn't. I thought their strike was ridiculous, their demands were outrageous and to put people's lives at risk was unacceptable.

What galls me the most is these union leaders who make out they are "of the people for the people" on their own vastly inflated salaries with their noses in the troughs. They aren't interested in negotiation, they are only interested in power seemingly. It is entirely political. Since the miners strike when the back of the unions were broken, can you give any examples where striking, not negotiation, was actually successful?

If it is a one day strike, it's just futile. It will achieve nothing.

 

[Cattia]

I think some parents are just annoyed at the fact that a day without school is an inconvenience to them. Some parents complain when school is closed for staff training because they see it as free childcare which is not the role of school at all.

Free childcare? I pay taxes!!! How is that free?!
The role of school isn't to provide childcare but it is to provide a learning environment for children Monday to Friday for two thirds of the year.
Protest in the summer holidays if you must - or does that mean teachers will have to forego some of the numerous holidays they get?

You pay taxes for the education though, not so that you never have to arrange to have your kids looked after, that was my point. Some parents complained when schools shut in lyhe snow because the grounds were dangerous, yet these would most likely be the first people to start taking legal action against the school if their child slipped up. Some parents send their kids in when they are sick rather than keep them at home. Some don't want teachers to take part in traininh days because it means they have to arrange childcare for a day, even though the training benefits their kids' education. It's that sort of thing I was talking about. If teachers went on strike in the holidays it would not be a strike as the definition of striking is not going to work
Anyway I am not really interested in getting into an argument about our long summer holidays, I have heard it so many times, I don't know why more people don't join the teaching profession really! The only reason teachers go on about how hard we work is because people are constantly implying that we have an easy life! I honestly believe that many people who think that would not survive five minutes in a classroom. I know many colleagues who have come into teaching from the private sector, some from high powered jobs in the legal and IT professions and every single one of them will tell you teaching is the hardest thing they have done.

 

[Cattia]

I honestly think it is fair enough if people don't support the strike action. What annoys me is the way that people use this as an excuse to have another dig at teachers and suggest that we don't work hard enough. It rials me when I work until well after 11pm every night of the week, I don't have lunch breaks because I work through them, one day each weekend is taken up with work and in the long summer holidays most teachers I know are planning and marking or taking on extra work marking for exam boards to supplement our income. We get verbal and physical abuse on a daily basis, we are trying to educate kids when there is no budget for basic resources like photocopying, books and paper, our time is wasted my meaningless admin and yes, it can get a little frustrating at times! However seeing young people learn and acheieve success is one of the most rewarding things in the world and makes the job worthwhile, that's why we put up with all the crap.

 

[Cattia]

When the firemen striked over pay everyone was very supportive of them even though it put lives at risk

I didn't. I thought their strike was ridiculous, their demands were outrageous and to put people's lives at risk was unacceptable.

What galls me the most is these union leaders who make out they are "of the people for the people" on their own vastly inflated salaries with their noses in the troughs. They aren't interested in negotiation, they are only interested in power seemingly. It is entirely political. Since the miners strike when the back of the unions were broken, can you give any examples where striking, not negotiation, was actually successful?

If it is a one day strike, it's just futile. It will achieve nothing.

Personally I too doubt the strike will achieve much either but you can't blame people for trying, after all the increase in employee contribution will cost many teachers over a hundred pounds a month which many simply can't afford. Before the Tory government under Maggie Thatcher took away the rights of the trade unions, people in the private sector had the opportunity to protest about changes to their working conditions that they felt were unfair but now workers in the private sector have to accept cuts in salary and pensions that they have no power to oppose which is what seems to be upsetting many peple about the teachers'unions' action! Ironic when you think about it. If teachers' unions don't to protect workers rights then we will have the same lack of power to challenge employers as exists in the private sector. Just because the rights of private sector workers were taken away in the eighties, does that mean we should give up ours too we can stand in solidarity at having no voice as workers?

 

[Foogirl]

Just because the rights of private sector workers were taken away in the eighties, does that mean we should give up ours too we can stand in solidarity at having no voice as workers?

Of course not, but there is a time and place and now isn't it. Teachers didn't have to strike to get the McCrone deal. Their employer looked at the facts, and at the public purse and said after negotiations "ok, this is do-able". That is how it should work. Unions are there to prevent their members being treated unfairly. This isn't treating them unfairly. If anything it is bringing the public sector into line with the private sector and making sure we all take a hit with the current crisis. Ask yourself this, if not pensions, where do they cut?

I know the public sector pension isn't as gold plated as everyone makes out, but it is better than most. I know, as my husband has one. And interestingly, after 3 years of having his payrises delayed for six months and ending up with the same as he would have had anyway because the unions automatically rejected it, he left the union. In principle, unions are a good idea but I think their ethos now is totally wrong. How can they claim this is a last ditch attempt when the announcement is relatively fresh? If a one day strike will be ineffective in solving the problem, it is not about effecting change, it is about causing disruption and protesting. I understand that individuals have not taken their vote lightly, but the union has gone with vote action far too soon. This money has to come from somewhere and to protect teachers pensions just means someone else will lose out. Don't forget there are something like half a million women for whom the state pension changes will cause hardship too, but the fact is the country can't afford these pensions.

You mentioned parents and training days. In Scotland, one of the proposals is to carry some of these out during holiday periods. To me that makes some sense and much as you protest, the teachers I know DO accept their holidays are a particularly good aspect of the profession.

I know teachers work hard and do late nights and weekends, this doesn't make them any different from many other workers. I do it too and don't get paid for it and I'm not paid vastly more than your average teacher. My gripe isn't even with the teachers, it is with the union and their misguided attempts to solve this issue.

 

[xxembobxx]

What annoys me is the way that people use this as an excuse to have another dig at teachers. seeing young people learn and acheieve success is one of the most rewarding things in the world and makes the job worthwhile, that's why we put up with all the crap.

You seem to be a very caring teacher and I would love my children to have somebody like you in their schools. Unfortunately there are a lot of teachers that have gone into the profession who haven't the same ethos. I don't know how many times I have seen people on BnB posting how much they hate their teaching job. It's a terrible thing to think you send your child to an environment where the people supposedly caring for their future are spouting how much they despise being there!
£100 billion is the amount the UK needs to find to plug the black hole in the public sector pensions
In good times I wouldn't care what pension public sector workers get but unfortunately in these times cuts have to made everywhere and I don't want my taxes going to pay for somebody to have a final salary pension which is unaffordable and unrealistic. I don't think it's fair peoples pensions will change so quickly, it would be better if they gave notice so maybe only new employees were affected so they knew the terms of their job. However there have been so many people who scrimped and saved in pensions like Equitable Life and they lost everything. They would be grateful of getting something back.

 

[Cattia]

I think there are lots of ways thay money could be saved in education other than through cutting pensions. The administration of pointless national tests to name but one, and the promotion of national startegies that do nothing to raise standards, and don't get me started on inspection....
However I don't really have an overview of the national finances so I can't say exactly how the problem should be solved. Of course I want the pensions we signed up for to be honoured but I always vote against strike action on pay and would rather see my pay frozen if it protects us from further staff cuts and under resourcing.

Xxembobxx, I think sometimes teachers let off steam about their jobs just like everyone does, and they moan about theory working conditions which I think is fair enough, but I totally agree that if they hate being in the classroom and teaching kids then it is time to stop. Young people can be difficult and downright frustrating sometimes but they don't need cynical adults, they need positive people who believe that they can succeed no matter what and have the energy to do the best they can for them.

 

[Mum2Alfie]

we got a letter home today, saying that the strike is on the 30th June. Also had on it some interesting information that I thought was very silly and clearly the letter was written and sent to schools to be used by the union! They had reasons from the government and reasons they are striking......

government....

the government cant afford the teacher scheme-it is making the deficit worse
we are all in it together-we all need to make sacrifices
we are all living longer

teachers.....

the teachers pension scheme is self funding-it makes no additional demands on the public purse
mp pensions are not affected by the review
statistally, teachers who retire after the age of 60 are more likely to die before they are 70. A teachers job is phyiscally demanding-ensuring the health and safety of 30 young people at the age of 67 is worrying.

First and foremost....the government gave a percentage to top up the pension scheme, they are no longer doing that, hence what started this off in the first place! So contradicting and lying there! Secondly, why is it the private sector have to suck up everything that happens to them and put up or lose their job, where as when it comes to the public sector coming into line with everyone else there is a problem with this? Thirdly, is a teaching job more demanding, more physical and more strssful than the police, or fireman or even a nurse? They ALL have to work for longer, they have ALL had pay cuts on their pensions, yet they seem to just be getting on with it. Forth and final thing, is a teachers job more physical than working in a factory with heavy lifting? Is a 67 year old gonna be able to lift heavy loads or are they gonna struggle more than a teacher? My father has worked for 45 years of his life, majority of them in Tesco warehouse lifting and carrying very heavy loads, plus working in freezing conditions. he took early retirement, but has had to go back to work due to the recestion. He is now working in a reptile factory, where they have all the wood chip and sand for the bottom of the vivs and all the nice bits you can get for them etc. He has to fill up large bags of sand and woodchip and then carry them on to crates and stack them. He has had a bad back for years, with 3 of his discs crushed. But he understands that he needs to do this. He did have a private pension with Tescos, but its not alot and it certainly wasnt topped up by the government! So therefore he has gone back to doing a very physically demanding job for his age of 61! He is also earning alot less than teachers! Like anyone in the private sector, they are on minimum wage, which is £13-£14k, Unlike a teachers £25k starting salery. They have a month holiday if that majority of them. I am not saying that teachers do a rubbish job or I dont respect what they do, however, I do feel that people need to understand that really and truelly they havent got that bad a job compared to thousands of people out there. If they really think they have a physically demanding job they need to get out there and work in a factory or try wrestling with a 6ft butch bloke to the ground to arrest him, or struggle with a drunken lout who has ended up in A & E again shouting his mouth off and hitting out!

 

[xxembobxx]

I think there are lots of ways thay money could be saved in education other than through cutting pensions.

Jobs are usually the first to go when money is tight - employees always take the hit. I agree there are probably other ways to save money but nobody ever looks for the other ways. They go for the quick save.

As Mum2Alfie pointed out MP's pensions are not affected. In fact I believe they got a pay rise. That disgusts me. I would happily join on a march against MP's taking the mickey with public money.

 

[Cattia]

I'm off to find a 6ft butch man to wrestle to the ground. Wish me luck

 

[justlove]

TBH I dont understand because my daughter's school they have sent out letters saying school will be closed on 30th June due to strike and teacher training day on 8th July is now cancelled school will be open as normal. So basically they just swapped teacher training day over cos they where having time of school anyway

 

[Cattia]

They probably thought that it was too much for the children to miss two days of school this term so they cancelled the teacher training day and will do it another time or maybe fit it in after school, as teachers legally have to have a certain amount of training per term. We so some of ours as after school sessions instead of a whole day.

 

[cupcaker]

I'm a primary teacher. I am not striking. MANY are not...many are scared to death to rock the boat due to the already inaccurate view people have of us, not wanting to fuel an imaginary fire.

We work our backsides off with kids. Think one or two children is hard at home? Try up to 30+ each day in some cases. We get your children through amazing milestones. I am the most stable thing some children have in their lives in my class. Teachers are no longer there to teach children to read and write alone. They now pick up the pieces of many social and emotional issues due to inadequate parenting. Many people have NO idea of the work teachers do each day and do not complain.

 

[Kimmy25]

My sons school is not closing it will remain open however he was off friday for an in service day and off on monday for the royal wedding as it was during the holidays so it is lieu which I think is a little strange!...However, Im all for the strike, the teachers in my school are amazing they never closed the school for one day during the snow!

 

[babe2ooo]

dont get me wrong i think teachers do work every hard, but i think this whole strikething is a waste of time, i think people in higher paid jobs should be taking cuts not teachers. Theres alot of things about my job i'm not happy with but you dont see me striking i would get sacked. My step son school has been closed so much he spend more time at home then school. School isnt what it used to be...

p.s i'm not happy that teacher have to take a cut so i agree just not about the strike

 

[Blondie2008]

My mother and sister are both teachers. It is a profession that is totally underestimated by people in my opinion. Yes they get good holidays but much of this is spend planning for the next term etc. The abuse they get from some kids - my mother has had a chair thrown at her!!!

They dont get paid nearly enough and now they want to hit their pensions!! Bloomin right they should strike.

Calling them 'selfish'???????????? I'm not sure u know what your on about sorry!!

 

[Foogirl]

I don't think anyone here, nor any sane person would think teachers are over paid, nor that most don't doo a valuable job and in times of prosperity should be properly rewarded. But we can't afford the penssion scheme, or bigger wages come to that. It's quite simple, if my company has a deficit, things get cut. The best cuts are those which don't affect the ability to properly educate and that is what the government is doing. It's not ideal, but it is a fact of life.