Anyone know results of teachers strike?

[Violashift]

The ballot closed yesterday but has anyone heard the results?

NASUWT have announced plans for further balloting. I'll wait and see what that's all about and switch to NEU if necessary.

No one forcing anyone to strike

Legally, no one can ask you to prove which union you are a member of. Any teacher in a school with strikes can join the strike, even if they are not in a union. However, being in a union gives protection against any backlash from strike action. NASUWT teachers could join picket lines if they wanted.

NASUWT have advised members to go into work but to refuse to cover striking teachers. They said you are open to disciplinary action if you strike.

If you a member of a union that has voted for strike action, you should strike. The NEU has hardship funds for anyone that will struggle financially.

As always with strike action, this is a present loss to secure a better pay in future- can they afford not to strike?

Anyone is open to disciplinary action if they strike- including those in NEU. But the balloted union would obviously support those through any disciplinary action. The laws surrounding industrial action are the same for all individuals (rather than for the unions calling the strike) regardless of whether they are members of unions striking.

All unions will advise staff not to, because they can't be seen to advise members not to cross a picket line and be disciplined.

can they afford not to strike?

I’ve seen this argument many times re strikes and it makes no sense.

It is like saying to someone with £20 ‘can you afford not to buy a £60 pair of boots?’ The better quality boots will last longer and have more value for money but it you don’t have £60 then you don’t have it. Likewise, a pay cut of £300 that will put you in arrears on your mortgage or unable to pay childcare fees is one you can’t afford no matter how much money may be promised as a result of this.

If I were still teaching I'd be joining the NEU at this point. I was a member of the NUT, and moved to NASUWT because virtually all my colleagues at my next school were in it.

It would be a lot more sensible for there to be one teaching union.

The problem with that is that if the generally accepted view is that if one disagrees with the Union one should leave the union, it doesn’t leave any options for disagreement of opinion.

It does make for a stronger message with collective action of course.

A union is its members. And there is very rarely a completely united view on things. But policy of the union is made up from motions put by ordinary members to conference, including changes to rules and policies if members disagree. They are debated and discussed and then voted on. Doesn't mean everyone in the union agrees with that views, but democratically as a group that is the policy put forward until it is changed by the same process.

I don't think I've ever fully agreed with all the policies and stances of any union I was a member of (I was a teacher and have been a member of NASUWT, NUT and ATL). But I would say if you feel strongly on this, then joining NEU seems right.

The issue with turnout is because of the government insistence on a paper ballot. People move and don't update the union,. they leave and just cancel their direct debit, but that takes a while to register with the union. So that explains a lot of the missing ballots. And the NEU undertook a huge effort of replacement ballots and contacting members, by phone and text to ensure that anyone who hadn't received one, asked for a replacement from Civica.

Given that teachers are always whining that their long holidays are not holidays ,but spent planning, perhaps they should strike duting half term? Thought not!

Because they're not idiots and actually know what the point of a strike is?

This seems very appropriate.

Would you strike on a Sunday? Thought not 🙄

@realmsofglory the point of a strike is to withhold your labour on a day you normally work. Your pay for that day is deducted. Teachers aren't paid for half term, therefore they can't be directed. So they can't withhold labour.

Facebook is filled with idiotic posts like the one above.

@TorviShieldMaiden the problem is that unions obviously don’t solely exist to serve their members. It would be disingenuous to say that they don’t exist for profit as well.

So I'm confused as I don't understand how this all works. How will we know if our school is effected. Do we wait for our school to tell us? Ours is so unorganised and I need to arrange to be home if they close for striking. The headmaster isn't very nice and I don't want to email and ask!

The comment was obviously tongue in cheek, but they cant have it both ways can they? If their holiday work is SO essential ....

It is getting like a bingo card

Strike on a Sunday
strike on a holiday (you get enough)
You closed during covid
fine ‘em

twat house

Holiday work is all the shite we don't have time to do in term time.

Like tidy up. Properly tidy up.
Plan new schemes of learning, and differentiation of these SoL
Change and update displays

There's always one.

I've just switched to NEU. I'm more left wing anyway so makes sense to me.

I casually asked a colleague in the staff room today what union he was in, snd he said he didn't know.
Him: does it come out of your pay hefore tax?
Me: no. Usually direct debit. Do you have one set up?
Him: No.
Me: well you're not in a union then. Better join one.

🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

What are you on about?

Who strikes on a day they don't get paid and won't cause any disruption?

NASUWT is clear in it's advice to members, that it is unlawful to strike if they haven't given us notice that it will be happening, and as we didn't make the cut-off that isn't the case.

I believe if you weren't in a union at all (unwise) you could choose to go on strike, but if your union balloted and it didn't go through as a notice to vote, then you are not legally allowed to.

All this waffle about striking during half term or on Sunday's is actually not as bizarre as you may think - teachers are working and being paid 365 days per year.

Full time teachers are at school (directed time) 195 days per year. Adding on the standard 28 days holiday entitlement that makes 223 days.

You might expect a teacher to lose 1/223 of their salary for a day on strike, but this is not the case. Teachers will lose 1/365 of their salary for each strike day. (Supreme Court - Hartley v King Edward VI College - 24/05/2017)

It makes a significant difference. For a teacher on £38,810 they will lose £106.33 per day instead of the £174.04

I bet parents, public, the Torygraph and the Daily Fail don't know this and there could well be uproar when they find out.

@Getinajollymood rhey absolutely don’t make profit. They are non-profit organisations. All the accounts are presented at conference each year and are transparent.