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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Striking teachers eroding good will?

73 replies

bloodyeverlastinghell · 11/01/2023 23:07

I’ve had to take unpaid leave to cover strike days. So my wages will be down £170
or so this month. Im not well off and that money means going without for a couple of months to make it back up.

I do normally donate time when I can for sports day/ Christmas fair/ bottle for raffle/ baking/ buy school calendar/ bag/ mug with childrens art on.

I got an email to do something for the PPG and is it unreasonable to think that really the school have used up the discretionary time/ money budget for the foreseeable future.

IABU - Suck it up and support the school

YANBU - Parents are having a tough enough time, PPG should delay fundraising, requesting volunteers for stuff.

OP posts:
TheShellBeach · 11/01/2023 23:10

YABU.
Teachers deserve support.

Theimpossiblegirl · 11/01/2023 23:10

I suppose it depends on whether you think schools should be better funded or not...

noblegiraffe · 11/01/2023 23:12

Presumably your children go to the school and the fundraiser is for their benefit?

cansu · 11/01/2023 23:12

It is entirely your choice. I would imagine you do these things to support the children. If you do not have time or money then of course stop doing them.

Redbushteaforme · 11/01/2023 23:15

You are directing your annoyance in the wrong direction. You need to tell your local education authority, MSPs, MPs etc how fed up you are that your life and your children's education is being disrupted by this and tell them you want a settlement agreed with the teachers ASAP.

Not contributing to school fund raising is only going to affect the children and they have had enough negative impacts on their schooling recently as it is.

Obviously, if you are now struggling financially because of the strikes and can't afford to contribute, that is understandable, and different from refusing to help on principle because of the strikes.

SpikeGilesSandwich · 11/01/2023 23:16

Did your school inform you of the strike? I keep hearing rumours of strikes but no actual information.

Shinyandnew1 · 11/01/2023 23:16

Why do you think the teachers are striking? Do you support that sentiment?

MrsSkylerWhite · 11/01/2023 23:17

No. Support them.

UsingChangeofName · 11/01/2023 23:17

If you don't have the time or the money to donate, then obviously Y would NBU not to.

Your title question is a bit different though.
Y would BU to be angry at the teacher who are losing pay themselves to try to get better funding for schools and to get the teaching profession back to a place where teachers actually want to stay in the profession.
If something isn't done, more and more schools will join those who are already using non qualified staff and already not able to find staff to cover any absences.

SugarQills · 11/01/2023 23:17

Ooh yay! We've moved from bashing nhs staff to teachers!! What a treat!!

noblegiraffe · 11/01/2023 23:18

SpikeGilesSandwich · 11/01/2023 23:16

Did your school inform you of the strike? I keep hearing rumours of strikes but no actual information.

Scottish teachers have been striking for a while.

English teacher strike ballot results will be known this week/early next.

OverTheRubicon · 11/01/2023 23:18

Fundraising isn't for the teachers, it's for your kids.

Teachers getting better pay will bring in better graduates and stop the massive drain of experienced teachers from the profession. This will also benefit your kids.

Can you not team up with some other parents to reduce the number of days you need to take off?

LucyWhipple · 11/01/2023 23:19

I mean…You know the fundraisers aren’t for the teachers, right?

If you can’t afford to donate then don’t even give it a second thought but if you feel that not donating will somehow spite the teachers for striking, then give your head a wobble.

I’m a teacher in England and may well be striking soon. I’m not sure if it is the same in Scotland but the thing that has pushed me to vote for strike action is that the last pay rise we received was unfunded ie directly taking away from the children I teach. And at the same time we are massively struggling to recruit and experienced teachers are also leaving because they’ve just had enough. A properly funded pay rise which brings teachers’ salaries back in line with where they were in real terms 10/12 years ago may just help with those things. I’m striking for the long term future of the dc I teach, just like when I volunteer for pta events I’m doing it to benefit the children I teach.

SpikeGilesSandwich · 11/01/2023 23:20

@noblegiraffe, thanks, that's good to know, I thought I'd missed some vital email!

ConfusedNT · 11/01/2023 23:21

The thing that's eroding my good will is the government

Some of them are claiming up to 200k in expenses on top of their salaries and their second jobs and their subsidised meals etc

Meanwhile the schools rely on PTAs to fundraise for textbooks, stationary and art supplies because they government isn't funding the schools well enough never mind the staff (see also NHS)

Original poster
bloodyeverlastinghell · 11/01/2023 23:21

Scotland so have had a strike yesterday and then again on 17th more to come apparently.

OP posts:
LadyWithLapdog · 11/01/2023 23:22

What do all strikes have in common? The only bogey man I see here is the Tory government and their gross mismanagement of finances.

ToooOldForThis · 11/01/2023 23:30

The fundraisers are for things for the kids. Buses for trips, extra ict equipment,playground games...your parent council should make it clear what they are working towards. If it's just generic "school fund" then that can be anything from reading books to glue sticks to ipads.

The teachers are striking for wage restoration.

They are 2 completely different issues. If you can't afford to donate to fundraisers, then you obviously don't do it. If you want to support them but can't afford it, you could offer your time. This does not mean during the working day, but (for example) helping with the next fundraising event. If you don't want to support the school,you don't have to.

donquixotedelamancha · 11/01/2023 23:32

I do normally donate time when I can for sports day/ Christmas fair/ bottle for raffle/ baking/ buy school calendar/ bag/ mug with childrens art on.

You aren't donating to the teachers, you are donating towards your kids education. If your goodwill towards your children is being eroded that's hardly the teacher's fault.

Also why on earth does everyone think that employees are responsible for an organisation delivering a particular service? It's the government who are supposed to provide that service to you, if they don't keep their staff happy and you suffer you need to address your concerns to the government- you have no relationship with individual staff.

LateOnTheBandwagon · 11/01/2023 23:35

Not at all @LadyWithLapdog we have our very own SNP government here in Scotland mismanaging our education system!

TooBigForMyBoots · 11/01/2023 23:40

Teachers are striking for very good reasons: Your children.

LadyWithLapdog · 11/01/2023 23:41

@LateOnTheBandwagon must be difficult with zero money. What excuse for the rest of the UK?

BungleandGeorge · 11/01/2023 23:41

I blame the government for the strikes. They’re being unreasonable and have caused the situation

Gymrabbit · 11/01/2023 23:46

LateOnTheBandwagon

thank you for this. Mumsnet is desperate for all issues in the Uk to be the fault of the Tories but Scottish teacher strikes and issues with the NHS in Wales show there is mismanagement by all parties in power.

LateOnTheBandwagon · 11/01/2023 23:50

Not sure why you think the Scottish government ha zero money! No excuse for the abysmal state of education in England, Scotland or any of the UK nations in my opinion. Same poor result from mismanagement of finances just different headline names.