To ask whether those who support a Junior Doctors’ strike would support a strike by teachers?

[Pottedpalm]

i would support a strike by Junior Doctors, though the idea is very frightening as a current patient in the healthcare system.
However, I wonder whether the massive support expressed for the Junior Doctors would be extended to teachers, who are also considering striking.

Do you think hospitals shut for snow days?

No they didn’t work from home, stop talking rubbish!

Yes, I do fully support any strikes at the moment. It's not fair that public sector workers are told there is no money in the pot when they do some of the most essential jobs in society, what happens if over the next ten years nobody trains as teachers as the conditions are so bad, so all go into banking instead for the unlimited bonuses?

Yes. EVERYBODY should have the right to strike. I know that my personal motivation to strike is not my personal salary or working conditions (though both could be better). It is the state of schools funding in general (caused by years of unfunded dictates). The "teachers' Union" is the NEU (National Education Union) - including support staff, who have been worst affected by the Tories in the past 10 years. The "anti public sector" rhetoric encouraged by the press + govt has simply allowed this to become "us vs them" and its not.

In the past 10 years:

• my dept has shrunk from 22 to 13, meaning we have lost all ability to put in place small group intervention for students who really need it with qualified teacher (think phonics, 1st stage EAL, ks2 into 3 catchup, GCSE support).

• every year group used to have a dedicated member of staff JUST for pastoral care. These no longer exist.

• moved from 2 duties per week to 5

• lost school nurse and counsellor

• building is literally falling apart

• support for those with SEND (of which there are MANY more than 10 years ago) dramatically cut due to lack of staff

• numbers of support staff significantly down. We CANNOT recruit enough staff.

• there is a teaching recruitment crisis. If teachers have brilliant working conditions, high pay and loads of holiday, why aren't there enough of them?

I did...

Ridiculous comment.

I support any profession who vote to strike. It’s their right, and they know their own industry and the issues best.

Public services are under enormous pressure. The pandemic and financial crisis have brought that into sharp focus.

I have no interest in pitting teachers against doctors against nurses against train drivers or postal workers. All essential services.

Brilliant, yet scary, post.

i hope the strikes happen and I hope hy some miracle those in control step up and listen.

And if it happened. I was in school teaching on those days! We certainly didn't close and yes we were in the weather warning area.

The starting salary for teachers is a set amount, that is a fact. So your experience is irrelevant/wrong. The teachers you know on 50k+ will be experienced teacher with additional responsibilities e.g. deputy head.

Yes I’d support a teacher strike.
I mean it would be a massive pain in the arse for me, and other working parents, but I’d still support it.

In fact I’d be really happy they did. I know quite a few teachers in my friends and family networks (went to a teaching uni), many have left and all are very critical of the state of teaching/stress levels/over assessing etc.

As Lizzie says “it’s about damn time”

always found my teacher friends to be anti the idea of striking though.

Would like to add, my school is a great one. They are VERY innovative in ways of raising funds (I laugh, but it does seem that the site is being "pimped out" at any possible opportunity) and we are creative with what we can do. My colleagues and I go WELL above and beyond with no renumeration because we love the job and the kids. But this is utterly unsustainable.

If you want people like us to stay in the profession it has to be in a state which is viable. Not at the individual level, but education funding as a whole.

Did you know the government offer to teachers is unfunded?

So to honour it schools have to lose money from elsewhere in their (very tight) budgets.

Which will directly impact on children.

Teachers’ salaries have fallen in real terms since 2010 - more than the general employment figures. ifs.org.uk/articles

Leaders’ salaries have fallen even more - over 1/5th in real terms.

The proposed pay rises will not address this.

The terms of employment are therefore significantly different from the profession I entered pre 2010.

However, I could accept all of that if the pay rise was funded. That is what I will strike for.

I honestly hope that teachers also become more vocal generally about teacher practices that have no evidence base and could be harmful and cause stress needlessly for the sake of favourable statistics.

I don't think teachers are badly paid compared to other comparable professions personally. The working hours are good and there's long holidays. I am not in England though and I fully appreciate things are a lot worse there for teachers than my part of the UK. I am more concerned about the pay and conditions for TAs. However I don't really care if they strike, it is their prerogative. It will cause me a right headache for childcare of course which will have a knock on effect on my patients if I can't get it sorted, but I guess I will have to pay for expensive child care to cover it. Which is irritating given I earn less than many teachers, but there you go!

Junior doctors pay and conditions are absolutely appalling and we definitely are seeing a crisis now with recruitment. I know people say that about teaching, but I just don't see it where I am - teachers are still struggling to get FT permanent posts. I would actively support junior doctors striking.

Which is precisely why they should be valued and paid a fair wage which keeps up with inflation. If there are strikes across essential services the disruption seen should be blamed 100% on this shitty government.

Nurses are voting on strike action in the coming weeks too
www.rcn.org.uk/Get-Involved/Campaign-with-us/Fair-Pay-for-Nursing/Latest-updates
the RCN (union) is really pushing for members to vote YES for strike

@Sirzy

Agree with everything you’ve said.

Add to that the cuts and chaos in the sectors we work mostly closely with in schools.

Children’s social care appears to be a complete shitshow. Our LA has a ridiculously high turnover of social workers, staff leaving in droves due to unsafe caseloads and high levels of stress, things being missed constantly. I have never had to complain or escalate issues more than I have in the past 12 months.

Youth services have been obliterated by the Tories. There is one youth centre for our entire London borough, and it can’t always open due to staffing issues. The last 10 years of government cuts and policy has destroyed the sector.

CAMHS is in obvious crisis. 18 month waiting lists for children to be seen for mental health issues or autism assessments.

We had a thriving team of Safer Schools police at one time, who visited us weekly, did after school patrols and consulted with parents and children. Now we have three officers for the whole borough and we are lucky if we ever see them.

I could go on.

Who picks up all the slack? Schools do.

Yes - I would support both. By underfunding, Govt have created a bad working environment in both professions that is stressful to work in and not enough staff for the workload

Yes, I have friends who work in schools that were located in areas covered by the extreme heat warning. One of the secondary schools closed, but all of the primary schools were open. Although many gave the parents the option of collecting early, or keeping them off school and it was marked as an authorised absence.

The friend who worked in the secondary school taught online lessons all day. So although they weren't at school it wasn't a day off.

I support anyones right to strike.

Of course teachers should strike.

They have been treated appallingly.

Yes, I’d support both.

TBH I think we need a General strike.

Support both. And postal workers.
@mum2bee2022 teachers at DD’s school certainly did work from home. Schools also close due to snow here as the journey (rural) and site (sprawling) aren’t safe for students or staff. School certainly never closed as it was too hot. And working hours? Teachers plan and assess and report and have meetings wrlo
after students go home.

I support anyone that fights for a fairer wage and/or working conditions. Teachers, junior doctors, nurses, carers, post office workers….everyone.

Amen!

I completely agree and feel the same way!

The appalling state of school funding would shock all parents. The latest planned pay rise has not been funded by government and so will be absorbed by school budgets. Fuel bills are expected to add to even the best insulated, modern schools around £20,000 per year - again unfounded.

my own “leafy” and popular school is woefully underfunded, can not recruit support staff, teachers leaving in droves and can’t be replaced. Recently a recruitment freeze has been announced

it is expected that most academy trusts will be bankrupt within two years.

Having read a little of Britannia Unchained - the 2012 book by Liz Truss and Kwasi - I can see public sector being decimated in the coming years.

yes I fully support all strikes!