Does anyone NOT support teachers’ strikes?

[Notbeinggoadybut]

I’ve got mixed views. Support that they, as all public sector workers, need a pay rise. And schools need more funding (but the NEU hasn’t badged this as a public reason which is a mistake IMP).

But 12% is a lot when you’re on a £40k salary. The TA’s deserve 12%, the nurses and ambulance drivers with dire conditions and worse salaries deserve 12%. But not from a starting salary of £40k.

Also public services can be dire. I work in one, it can be bordering on a joke and in so many ways such a waste of money. I will be striking on the 1st of February. But I don’t think it’s right - I voted against the strike. I want a pay rise, but don’t feel like it’s right to ask for 10% and strike if I don’t get it.

Teachers don’t automatically go to upper pay scale though. You have six years and then you don’t go up any more pay bands unless you take on additional responsibilities or demonstrate exceptional skill/experience. You stagnate at M6.

There is theoretical automatic pay progression annually for 6 years. Then every two for 6. Then that's it.
But you have to "pass" your appraisal and there are very many ways in which schools ensure that can't happen.

Tbf that's normal in the most industries.

@Seaweasel but you are still guaranteed to get to the top of the main pay scale after 6 years? So, same as most public sector jobs?

Teachers have also been getting bugger all for a long time, the profession is at crisis point with recruitment and retention, what else is going to be effective ?

There should be more funding for schools though so I do support that.

I know of a state school teacher on 40K so you are incorrect. Definitely Definitely NOT on benefits that's a ridiculous thing to suggest

This is not correct for all. Many private sector pay rises are far higher than public sector. Your industry could unionise and strike if you are struggling to secure a good pay award.

No.

Except you did. In your OP. That’s why people are saying it.

Op so you’re not happy about teachers striking but you’re striking yourself ? And no, you don’t have to

The OP said 40K was starter pay.

Teacher Pensions: don’t talk about something you don’t understand. Do people genuinely think they get 20+% of their salary in the same way a private pension works? Google is your friend.

I don't understand this point?

Employers contribute the approx 23% of a teacher’s pay towards the cost which is a very good contribution.

I can’t understand thinking people don’t “deserve” a pay rise or whatever. I have basically no idea what it’s like to do someone else’s job - on a bad day I might think that wfh on a laptop consists of sending emails and having zoom meetings and that it’s easy but the reality is I know fuck all about the demands. I would never say “they don’t deserve xyz pay”.

Also the issue with these threads is they are always on extremes. You get people like OP (accidentally apparently) claiming that teachers earn 40k from the off, and then people like in saying that they work from 9-4 and have a million years holiday and never do any work. But then you also get people saying that all teachers work from 6-7 and then for hours every night, and the reality for a lot of teachers is somewhere in the middle. Sadly, for many teachers that extreme end is what they experience but I do find on these threads it becomes a massive argument between “you do nothing” and “I work harder than literally anyone else!!”

I think teaching is a great job and I really enjoy it and (currently) have a good work life balance due to an easy class and several years in the same year group. It could all change next year and this is the first time I’ve felt settled in the routine of not working when I get home.

I also think the main issue with pay is that the education system has been very underfunded for a long time and this has impacted all children, but particularly vulnerable children. The pay rise that has recently been approved isn’t government funded and therefore has to come out of school budgets, which is going to be very hard.

I don’t begrudge anyone a pay rise based on me thinking they “don’t deserve it”. That’s mental.

I’m a teacher (in a private school) and get £34k full time after twenty years of teaching!

You've been had! My friend teaching in a private is on a hell of lot more than that. And you’d be on more than that in a state school!!!

I am not sure you can do a direct comparison between teachers salaries and other jobs in different sectors as it's not comaprable. Different sectors have different benefits and reasons people go into it - for instance teachers have benefits that many others don't such as extended holidays. That doesn't come for free. In my workplace you can buy or sell your holiday as a salary sacrifice. That would immediately make someone's salary look lower but they would be gaining more days off.

No. Pay progression isn’t guaranteed. You could stay on the bottom rung indefinitely - and many teachers are now because schools simply can’t afford the increases because the government haven’t increased funding to cover increases. It’s all well and good saying the government is awarding an increase of X% but schools can’t pay it because the government won’t fund it

I think teachers are fairly lucky there’s enough of them unionised who can organise a strike over pay. I hardly know anyone in the private sector whose pay is keeping pace with COL rises. I would also love to have a DB pension scheme - I wish we would take that away from public sector but can’t. Because unions.

Im not sympathetic, mainly because after so much disruption to kids’ education I would want them to just get on with the job of teaching. Teachers don’t go into their profession for good money or conditions - it’s notoriously a badly paid, difficult job made worse by successive Tory governments.

Simplistically if the teachers get more money, it comes from our pockets doesn’t it; my tax is bound to go up. Meanwhile my salary is going up 0% this year.

Sorry if that sounds grabby but to me it’s just unfair that teachers will make my kids suffer, if the government don’t allow my taxes will rise to pay them more.

Some of my kid’s teachers are great but honestly some of them are absolutely useless. I mean how hard is it to teach Year7 English or History? I could teach this term’s syllabus with a weekend of prep. And they want a massive pay rise whether they are competent or not. Bit of a joke in some cases.

I’m only striking for one day @MrWhippersnapper, not four. And no children are going to be disadvantaged because I don’t log on from home that day.

They have been offered a pay rise, is my point, 5%. That coming from school budgets is ridiculous, I agree. But 5% is more than what most are getting. They will never get 12% so what will keep happening, constant strikes?

The fact you used 'Karen' in your post, makes you look like a right idiot 🙄

This ^^

You’re a hypocrite op

I don't think we'd be striking for 12% if we'd been treated fairly over the past 12 years but we haven't. It's about reinstating pay to the same level teachers had in 2010.

And it's not a race to the bottom. If you think your pay is unfair, do something about it instead of moaning about those that are.

I mean how hard is it to teach Year7 English or History? I could teach this term’s syllabus with a weekend of prep

Yeah. Right.

Keep in mind that most of a teacher’s holidays are unpaid. They get statutory minimum paid holiday and then the rest is unpaid. They just have their salary equally divided so months with more holiday still get the same amount in the bank.

What a load of utter bollocks, please join the profession then