The government wants to ban teachers from striking

[noblegiraffe]

But they can't actually ban teachers from striking so instead what they are doing is proposing to introduce 'minimum service levels' during strike action, in which teachers who want to strike would instead be forced into school and to work (penalties for disobeying are unclear).

The minimum service levels would see a requirement for various groups of children (estimated to cover 75% of kids) to be in school and receiving an education on strike days, children off school being educated remotely, and if there is a longer period of strikes, for all children to be in school on a rota.

It doesn't seem to occur to the government that a better solution to ensure that children don't miss out on education during strike days would be to work with education unions to avoid strike action by addressing their legitimate concerns.

It also doesn't seem to occur to the government that minimum service levels don't actually happen in schools the rest of the year, and that perhaps they should be spending their time working on fixing the issues in schools rather than this shitty attempt to create yet another 'war with the teacher unions'.

Anyway, there is a consultation on the proposals. It had to be taken down and fixed as the first consultation didn't let you disagree with the proposals, but it has now been updated.

Info here:
https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/dfe-teacher-strike-plans-minimum-service-levels-schools

Consultation here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/minimum-service-levels-msls-in-education

They are also doing/have done it for hospital (but not GP!) staff. You couldn't disagree with them on those proposals either. Hospitals already have minimum staffing levels (e.g. weekend running) which were adhered to during the strikes. You know they could just pay us better or better ts and cs and end the strikes. Hope you get the response that is right. They just want to ban striking.

It also doesn't seem to occur to the government that minimum service levels don't actually happen in schools the rest of the year, and that perhaps they should be spending their time working on fixing the issues in schools rather than this shitty attempt to create yet another 'war with the teacher unions'.

Considering many teachers were striking for funding for minimum services in normal circumstances, it all seems a little bonkers.

Considering that they shut schools for the Queen's funeral, the Platinum Jubilee and the King's coronation, it seems a bit inconsistent with their insistence that schools simply cannot close for strikes.

Solidarity with NHS workers. This government are just the pits.

I've completed the consultation as a parent. Solidarity.

Thank you!

It is worth noting that it is quite a long consultation with lots of boxes, but you can just write 'NA' in a lot of them (I wrote 'disagree - teachers should have the right to strike' quite a lot).

I found it quite cathartic to point out that government educational policy had been more detrimental to children's education than the strike days.

Off ill with no voice. Filled it in. They still clearly don't want people to disagree. Consultation? I think not.

So what. A dying Govt. with an election due wants to do a lot of things. Whether they will be around to do them (or if they do manage, whether they will be able to stop them being repealed in 18 months or so) is a very different question.

Filling that in has made me incredibly angry.

Most of my answers were along the lines of 'schools are already dangerously understaffed due to chronic government underfunding'

With an election coming up it is surely more important than ever to highlight the incompetent, nasty, divisive nature of this government that seeks to whip up ‘wars on x’ instead of sensible and considered policy?

Aside from anything else, this isn’t just an election issue. The govt are spending a lot of time writing and discussing this shit. They still haven’t bloody dealt with the RAAC issue, it’s just come out that they ballsed up the funding figures for next year so schools are facing further budget cuts, teacher supply is critically low and instead of addressing those issues, this is what they are spending their time on?

I filled it in and got very angry.

They’ll be no teachers left soon anyway 😢

Just when you think this government couldn’t sink any lower . . .

I responded.

I think the words serfs, servitude and slavery might have slipped in☺️

I found it quite cathartic to think that someone will have read what I wrote 🤣
Useless bunch of tossers.

I’ve set aside time tomorrow to fill this in. We have mass cover every single day. 3 or so classes at a time being babysat by one teacher. Sort out those fucking staffing levels!!!! Absolutely no fucking clue of the carnage that is in schools right now in terms of funding and staffing.

Mine too!

Filled in as a teacher and wrote scathing comments. I'm NEU and was out every strike day this year. I won't be be put on a rota or providing work from home, or in offering a minimum service if we vote to strike again at any point.

Bugger that. Everyone has the absolute right to withdraw their labour.

This government is, gradually, just banning dissent period. Sadly the only serious opposition is going along with it. If it's not disruptive, it's not a strike or protest 🤷‍♂️

Any counter argument is voided by a media, and general public, that ignores you otherwise. It's a requirement to polarise people and force them to have an opinion.

On education, the govt doesn't care about pupils really. Remember the big stink about hunger & food. Lack of appreciation & support for parents home schooling during pandemic. Even now, what would've been good for kids at home would be good for them catching up when off sick 🤷‍♂️

The minimum service levels effects most of the public sector and transport though doesn’t it ?
Have Labour voted for this ? If so why ? The laws been passed now hasn’t it ?

The Tories have a large majority, they don't need Labour to vote for stuff.

https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2023/february-2023/lords-scrutinises-strikes-minimum-service-levels-bill/

Honestly I think bus strikes are a much bigger problem. They leave people housebound and unable to access food and medical services. If they’re going to ban anyone from striking it should be bus drivers.

Well if the teachers are on strike it's not a problem; they'll just put in HLTA's as cheap "teachers" to cover like schools already do when teachers are off sick. The state of our schools and their budgets are downright disgusting, exploitative, shocking and unsafe; all in equal measure.

I was a bus driver and did it for several years and am quite offended by that comment.

You seriously expect bus drivers to lose their democratic right to strike ? Yet trains drivers on double their pay can still strike ?

What’s the point in being in a union if the right to strike is taken away ?

You may also find people won’t even do the job in the first place if they have no employment rights. So naturally there would be less bus drivers and buses anyway because people would leave the industry.