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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

re teacher's strike

284 replies

norton84 · 23/11/2011 19:19

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.

OP posts:
ceebeegeebies · 23/11/2011 21:45

Iggi99 I would be very careful about that tbh. If you are between 17-26 weeks pregnant, a loss of a day's pay will affect your maternity pay as your maternity pay is calculated based on your earnings during those weeks.

ninah · 23/11/2011 21:46

that's just it, dunno if I'm eligible or not
para under student members says no, para for gtps says yay, if a ballot was sent to your workplace. Waiting for clarification. Not sure what I feel about it tbh. Feels a bit cheeky to be striking as a student, but I am happy to do it as a measure to protect colleagues who have more at stake.

ninah · 23/11/2011 21:47

and y I pay into the pension scheme

FontSnob · 23/11/2011 21:47

Ninah, you have as much at stake as the rest of us. It's your future they are deciding on.

ninah · 23/11/2011 21:49

still not convinced I am ever going to make it to the end and qualify font, it's that time of year! must say, it's been an eye opener. Now I REALLY don;t know how you all do it, all day, every day.

oldenglishspangles · 23/11/2011 21:50

Partial's coment about losing just under £10k a year made be curious as to how much the average teachers pension was and whether state pension was calculated on top of that.

oldenglishspangles · 23/11/2011 21:50

me not be!

FontSnob · 23/11/2011 21:52

This term in the training year is by far the hardest. I feel for you. You will get through it though :)

duckdodgers · 23/11/2011 21:54

Iggi99
We have been told at work that anyone who is 15 weeks pregnant or more is exempt from the strike and should approach their union for an exemption letter, people who are in their last year of service are also exempt. The email did go on to say though that in this situation it would be encouraging if anyone who is exempt would donate their days pay to the union hardship fund.

FontSnob · 23/11/2011 21:55

I think the average teacher pension was 10,000 a year in 2010.

noblegiraffe · 23/11/2011 21:56

When I became a teacher I wouldn't have dreamed of striking either. I joined the NASUWT over the NUT because I thought the NUT was too militant and quick to strike.

Now after years of teaching I am seriously pissed off with the government, their attitude towards education, the shit heaped on teachers for things beyond their control and the fact that education policy is a fucking political football instead of what's in the best interests of the kids and that Education Secretary is a post given to someone to tinker around with for a year before being given something better so we have to change everything every couple of years based on their ill-informed whims instead of evidence. The Tories have fucked me off by promising that education spending would be protected then cutting school budgets by tens of thousands, by trumpeting the numbers of schools converting to academies under the banner of 'choice' when in fact we don't have a choice, we'd rather not, but we know that if we don't the Tories are going to screw us until we do, and by Gove prattling on endlessly about how everyone would be better served by the education he had ignoring the fact that most people aren't even like him, and how the Tories are giving teachers more powers to search kids for contraband when I don't want that, what I want is to be left alone to teach a GCSE course with textbooks that won't need to be binned in a year's time because everything has changed again.

And now they say that our pensions are unsustainable and that I need to take a pay cut, except it's not a pay cut, it is increased pension contributions but is is really a pay cut because it is not translating into better pension outcomes, or even the same pension outcomes, but considerably worse pension outcomes. And they say that it's necessary and hand-wringing and Labour legacy and whine whine whine when I don't trust them as far as I could throw them and suspect that if they could screw teachers while pampering bankers they would and probably are.

So I'm going on strike.

FontSnob · 23/11/2011 21:58

The way the pension scheme was designed to work was that in the first years of people paying in their pension a pot would build through their contributions and the fact that no one was as yet drawing a pension. That pot is still there. The govt does not need to make another set of changes.

FontSnob · 23/11/2011 22:00

Very, very well said Noblegiraffe.

Inertia · 23/11/2011 22:06

Iggi999- you should check that carefully with your union regional office, just in case your school rep is not in possession of all the facts.

Last time my union went on strike I sought advice from regional office as I was in one of the groups strongly advised NOT to strike.

jollydiane · 23/11/2011 22:09

Many thanks for the information so far. I am shocked that a full time teacher, who has been teaching without a break will only get £10,000, are you sure that is correct? I don't think it can be. What I crave is unbiased facts without the spin, is there such a website?

rightlymoaningminnie · 23/11/2011 22:18

Turning the strike into an informal, 'take your children to work day' is an inspired peace of divide and rule between the public and private sectors.

As Jolly said, the private sector are going to get used to the strikes if they carry on regularly and the teachers will have to resort to working to rule, which really will hit home, and, give the teachers a less stressed working life.

Cameron has not lost the plot at all, he has recently bought one from Lord Chadlington.

pointydog · 23/11/2011 22:21

The average pension is £10k for a teacher, yes.

A headteacher pension will fall from £22k to £14k. £14k

FontSnob · 23/11/2011 22:36

Also, please correct me if i am wrong, the pension scheme has changed already so the average will be lower in the future for the current scheme, without these further changes.

I also believe that they are talking about the final pension to be based on average wages throughout your career. Big fat slap in the face for those of us who have taken maternity leave or gone down to part time for a while to look after our children. Women getting trodden on some more, why thank you Mr. Cameron, you utter git.

iggi999 · 23/11/2011 22:37

Thanks Ceebeegeebies, Duckdodgers and Inertia - I will be 14+1 on strike day so just under the wire I think! I'll see if I can double check it though.

AnyFucker · 23/11/2011 22:40

I am a health professional in a management role

if I retire at 60 (unlikely now, but hey ho, it was promised to me) after 40 yrs of service paying full contributions apart from 2X maternity leaves, my pension will be around 13k

that is based on now

if the govt gets its way, it has been worked out that the increase in contributions, working longer and changes in how your pension is calculated, I will be 40% worse off over the course of an average retirement

does that seem gold plated to anybody ?

AnyFucker · 23/11/2011 22:41

fontsnob, yes, the proposed changes to public sector pensions are massively discriminatory against women

AnxiousElephant · 23/11/2011 22:46

I'm a HV and very luckily have no visits booked in out of sheer good fortune, just meetings. However, for me it goes against every principle of the NMC code of conduct and certainly involves not putting clients needs as a priority and I have no wish to strike. However, if the teachers strike I will have to use MY annual leave to cover my absence because my friends are both moving and are unable to take my dd1, I have no family within 5 hours drive. In my view striking will not solve the problem, will create tension with parents and cause major disruption to healthcare services who are already tight for manpower. In short it is selfish. Many professionals are losing pensions/ funds however, striking will cost the economy more money. It is ultimately rein in funds or bankrupt the country for our own children. A cut in pension is a minor sacrifice for their sake.

jollydiane · 23/11/2011 22:47

So lets have some facts. The term average is very misleading, if you work part-time you cannot expect to get the same pension as a full time teacher. Does anyone disagree with that?

  1. What pay scale are you basing £10,000 average pension on?
  2. How many full years are you basing the average pension on?
  3. Is the pension index linked?
  4. What if any tax free lump sum is the £10,00o based on?
  5. Is £10,000 based on what retirement age.

Once again, if there was a website that explained all this please direct me to it.

I have to go to bed now, but I would like to know the facts.

natation · 23/11/2011 22:48

I dare not even look at how "big" my gold plated pension might be, I've only completed just under 18 years and of that, not much has been full time, I doubt I'll get more than 5k per year, I'm expecting less even.

Public sector workers deserve more, we are being hit because of previous governments not saving for a rainy day, not saving at all.

Fully in support the strike.

AnyFucker · 23/11/2011 22:50

diane...you want someone to do all that research and working out for you but you are going to bed

forgive me if I decline

call me selfish Smile