Well said Mr P - response to teacher strike

[MrsMurphyIWish]

No AIBU, just wanted to share.

Solidarity doe those of us striking and to those who are questioning why, please take a listen …

www.facebook.com/reel/708926614094881?fs=e&s=9RfQYY

but I can't see teachers en mass saying "well I was leaving on £35k pa, but not its £36,500 all is well"

That would be a 4% pay rise. If teachers were awarded 12% then you’d be looking at £39,200 from £35k and yes, that might help both recruitment and retention.

That would improve standards with better and more teachers, and reduce workload as a lack of teachers creates significant workload for the remaining teachers.

It’s probably worth pointing out (again) that teachers, in contrast to private sector employees, have seen a significant decline in their real terms pay since 2010 Link here as well as public sector wage rises being dramatically lower than private sector workers (and inflation) more recently Link here

Are we saying that teachers’ worth has declined in comparison to other workers (social workers, iirc, fared even worse, an even sadder indictment of society’s values) and that a teacher is worth less in real terms than they were in 2010, whereas a private sector worker is worth more?

I do also think that the position of pay in this dispute is not clear cut. Legally, teachers can only strike about pay.

However, the motivation for strikes amongst the many, many teachers I know is not about pay.

It’s about a pay offer that comes without the Government giving the schools any money to meet it, so all other parts of the budget must be cut.

It’s about workload and expectations and constant carping blame from society.

It’s about the collapse of SEN provision in the face of riding need, and its consequences for all pupils.

It’s about the way society is failing its children, by so dramatically undervaluing and under-resourcing the key services and the workforce that meet their needs.

I know it is small in real terms, but the rest of the work force are not getting anywhere near this.

The data linked above does not bear this out. Yes, other public sector workers are also lagging behind (hence the wave of strikes) but private sector workers, on average, see their pay rising much faster.

I think it would be reasonable for teachers to ask for their pay to return to the same purchasing power as 2010 (still, iirc, 2% less than the average progress in pay in the private sector) and to also increase in line with average workers’ pay in response to inflation this year. I do, however, think that is MUCH more than simply asking for an inflation-linked pay rise from current levels….