Teachers striking on 5th October!

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

We've had a letter home today saying that some teachers in ds's school will be on strike on 5th October. Luckily neither of our ds's classes are affected.

I thought that public sector workers were being balloted over striking on 30th November about the proposal to change their pensions again, but I kew nothing about the 5th October.

Anybody else affected by this?

[2kidsintow]

I am a member of the NASUWT and all I've heard at school is about the balloting for strike in Nov. All the teaching unions seem to be in accord with this date and I've heard nothing about the 5th October.

Either it is a different matter that the staff in school are striking about that is different to the pensions issue, or it is a different union matter. I know that Unison is talking about striking, but I've not heard from anyone in that Union at work about this.

Phone up and ask for more details about the reason for the strike.

[Feenie]

Weird!

NUT ballot in June still stands for 30th Nov, so assume ATl's still does too. NAHT are balloting for then (outcome known in early November) and so are NASUWT (again, outcome won't be known for weeks.

I believe UNISON and UNITE are looking at 30th November too. (And FE/Uni teachers).

Must be striking on a different issue at your school. Must be severe - they wouldn't go out as an individual school if it wasn't.

Dying to know, now!

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

I'd be surprised if it's an in school issue as only 4 of the classes (out of 8) are affected.

The letter also says "It is likely that there will be further industrial action before the end of the Autumn Term". I guess this is the 30th November.

I think I will have to enquire next week! There's an inset day on Monday so it will have to be Tuesday.

[Grockle]

I'm in the NUT and as others have said, there's no plans for striking til November, with several other unions

[Feenie]

TBH, it must be, though - there is no national action on that day.

Let us know, won't you?

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Oh yes, I'll see what I can find out and get back to you!!

[tectime]

I hope the teachers do not take any strike days. We parents have to take time off or find expensive child-care. It will harden the public's resolve against teachers. What with teacher training days being set on first/last day of term - I for one am very much against strike action.

[YummyHoney]

I too am against strike action, but for different reasons.

The country is on it's knees - everybody's pension is affected in the private sector - why should we fund public sector worker pensions? It is simply not possible to fund this level of pensions.

In case teachers haven't noticed, these are hard times - and everybody, except the bankers, is struggling to maintain their lifestyle!

Anybody with a job in this climate should count themselves extremely lucky, and not be striking. There are plenty of people out there who can teach - very few are teaching rocket science.

My message to all teachers is, be grateful you have a job, and don't add to the problems of this (once) great nation.

Rant over

[SquongebobSparepants]

It may be a public cestor strike, I know the admin workers in my county are having their pay 'restructured' with one friend losing 25% of his pay thanks to it. And he is only on just over 20k.
They are not teaching staff but counted as local government, but includes people like learning support and cover staff as well as admin, so this may explain why some classes have to close even if teachers are in school.

[SquongebobSparepants]

sector.
It's early

[HarrietJones]

Currently the government says public sector pensions are unsustainable but refuses to provide the information to the unions. If they provide it the strikes will be called off. Currently the information the unions have shows the majority of public sector pensions are self sustaining, the contributions increases seem to be to pay off the deficit in goverments budget rather than pensions.the goverment is refusing to prove otherwise at the moment.
Also lots of public sector pensions( think all for those who join now) are NOT final salary ones. I've been paying into one for 12 years & it's not final salary.

FYI if INSET days were cancelled the children wouldn't be in school those 5/6 days as they were taken from the teachers holidays rather than school time.

[SquongebobSparepants]

Oh and re: the teachers strike, teachers are being told to make (much) larger pension contributions, but they have to work longer before retirement, and then the final payout will be less. How is that fair?

[Feenie]

Indeed - the strike on Nov 30th is not because teachers may have to pay more, but because the government won't say why they think the teachers' pension scheme is unsustainable (even though the National Audit Office says it is), won't have an actuarial valuation done even though is was due in 2010, and won't negotiate in any way whatsoever.

The Civil Service and the Fire Service will also strike on 30th.

[chibi]

Luckily, not only am i a teacher and so get to strike on a whim because i want to wreck the country, i am also a childless millionnaire

ha ha bloody ha

'We parents' and 'be grateful you have a job' indeed

[Feenie]

[chibi]

I quite forgot that any asshole can do my job too, there is really no element of skill in it whatsoever

god i wish i were intelligent and useful to society instead of being a big drain on the country

is it too late to retrain to work in an office putting sales figures in to a spreadsheet? i feel like i've wasted my life helping children and now i want to do something meaningful

[handsomeharry]

@ chibi

[Lucycat]

hear hear chibi! I too am a childless, trained monkey who does a job anybody can do as they've been to school too. Shall we retrain as doctors as I went to one of those once too

[Takver]

The strike on the 5th October is in Wales, its the Welsh teachers' union (can't remember their name). DD's school will be closed entirely.

[Insanitybecomesme]

Isn't the 5th when welsh teachers are striking over their pensions?

[Feenie]

There are plenty of people out there who can teach

Oh really, YummuHoney? That will be why 50% leave within 5 years then. And that's before the pension debacle, which has pissed off every single union in the profession - the first issue ever to do so.

[mrz]

There are plenty of people out there who think they can teach until they get in the classroom.

[Takver]

Just checked, and its the UCAC (Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru).

Had wondered before why we'd not been affected by the strikes, I wasn't sure whether Welsh teachers were in a different situation because of being under the Welsh govt, but I guess not :(

[Feenie]

Thanks for the info, Takver and others, I didn't know about the Welsh teachers' union, so that's very interesting. about why they haven't plumped for Nov 30th like everyone else, though.

[Takver]

Just a guess but I think if you're doing stuff in Wales & want media attention, its often better to go for a different day to England.

That way the Welsh media will do a piece for the Welsh action, and another piece for the English strike and you get twice the airtime.