re teacher's strike

[norton84]

Firstly I have no problem with teacher's striking. I have a young teacher in the family and can see where they are coming from.

However, today I found a letter in dd's book bag saying that the school may or may not be open on 30th and please can we have alternative arrangement in place just in case.
AIBU to think more notice would have been good?

Obv knew stike was possible but as school had not been in touch of course we assumed we would not be affected.

"If my own children's school close on the 30th and I have to stay home to look after them, like other parents will, am I deemed to be on strike, even if I don't choose to go on strike?"

At my school if you didn't sign in for work, you were deemed to be on strike and lost a day's pay unless you could produce a doctor's note. I guess that your school has emergency childcare days off which are paid, you could ask to use one of these if you don't want to strike? Don't know what their response would be though, if you have a week's notice to get childcare it probably doesn't count as an emergency.

I wonder who will pay for the doctor's note? My surgery refuses to offer sick notes unless you pay for them if you only need it to cover 1 day.

Colonel, I'm pretty sure that you will lose the days pay at the very least.

The GP's aren't part of the strike are they? Have I got that wrong?

Ninah, on my gtp we were recommended to join a union. As a member of teaching staff if your union has voted to strike you should too. If you are not a member (I recommend you join one) then as per everyone else you should only do your duties, not do cover etc. Which you shouldn't do anyway obviously!

Carers leave nor special leave will not be granted either

it's not an "emergency"

So if midwives are exempt from striking as suggested earlier, why are paramedics not?? I have everything crossed that I, my DC or any of my family do not need an ambulance next Wednesday [sa]

As for taking my DS to work...great idea as usual Mr Cameron.

The policy at my work is that emergency childcare will not be approved for the strike day as people have had plenty of notice to put together a contingency plan in place.

What I don't get is why any teacher would not be in a union. Simply for the protection that they offer.

I was under the impression you go in. Your union should have told you. I remember when I was a student the union instructed me to go in when a strike was going forward. Our GTP student is going in, as well as our HoD as she is approaching retirement.

yeah am in union but not clear on what to do, have not been balloted, not clear from their website what is correct, have contacted them but little time to chase it up. The only other member of staff in my union has chosen to work.

the last school I worked at had only two union members

ceebee, there will be skeleton cover

like xmas day, new years day, easter, and all the other 6-10 bank holidays we have in a year

Ceebees I think Cameron is losing the plot. How on earth would a workplace that employs mainly women who have children cope with all those children being in work with them. How would health and safety be adhered to? Yet again he shows himself to be a massive knob massively out of touch with reality.

What about your training provider? They may be able to help.

ah, never thought of them nn! will ask! thanks

www.teachers.org.uk/node/14356

This gives some details about teachers' feelings on the matter - I was actually surprised at the high number of voters. I had thought it was much lower.

Personally having looked at the figures on their calculator I will lose £234,574 over 25 years of retirement. Though given I will have to work until I'm 67 in a secondary school, I probably won't have 25 years of retirement... And my average monthly contribution towards this amazing deal is about to go up by 150%

Oh and why am I assuming that the women would take them in. Slap my own wrist.

Any they don't have 'skeleton cover' on Christmas Day/bank hols etc - it is business as usual with the same number of ambulances as any other day of the year whereas this strike could decimate the number of ambulances available to respond to emergencies - it is an unknown quantity at the moment though I guess.

It is a very tough choice for frontline NHS staff though - strike and put patients/public at risk or don't strike (against the unions wishes) - wouldn't like to be in that position.

YABU, norton.

The whole point of a strike is to be as inconvenient as possible. You just have to suck it up.

(teacher, but wouldn't dream of striking).

Do teachers get state pension and teaching pension?

Mindthegapp, out of interest, why wouldn't you dream of striking? (not being arsey, genuinely interested)

auntiep, does it depend on which union they are in ?

Yes anyfucker it does - the RCN haven't balloted for strike action at the moment - but I'm a Psychiatric Nurse and most nurses I know are in Unison, the Psychologists I know at work are in Unite who have also voted for strike action. I do know some RGNs who are also in Unison.

I work in a general health centre and all clinics have been cancelled e.g podiatry, physiotherapy so there will be inconvenience.

ninah if you weren't balloted because you weren't eligible to vote (not in the pension scheme for example) then you can't go on strike and have to go into work.

1Catherine1 - I'm a pregnant teacher and have been told by union rep that it will have no impact on maternity benefits etc - so will be striking. (Let's hope he's right!)

Old English, I'm not sure but i think so. Why (remember we pay the same tax rates and NI as the rest of the working population) do you ask?