To ask why the NEU aren’t sitting down and talking about pay?

[Isntthatapippette]

Genuine not goady.

Dear parents and carers,

I’m writing to update you ahead of the strike action planned by the National Education Union on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

This industrial action will mean more disruption to children’s education and to your lives too – whether that’s work, arranging childcare, or changing other plans.

I am extremely disappointed that many young people will once again miss invaluable time learning with their teachers and friends, particularly after their education was significantly disrupted during the pandemic.

It is made worse by the fact that this strike action is completely unnecessary. As I said to the NEU three weeks ago, I want to get around the table and engage in serious talks on teachers’ pay and other issues to resolve disputes.

My only condition was that strike action is paused so those discussions can take place in good faith and without disruption.

This was the same offer, and the same condition, made to unions representing nurses, ambulance workers and physiotherapists. Those unions accepted that offer, paused their strikes and are now negotiating on behalf of their members in private.

The NEU instead seems focused on strikes and all the needless disruption that brings.

This morning I have written to the unions again to invite them to have those talks on Wednesday and Thursday this week – all they need to do is call off strikes which are unnecessary and benefit no one.

The single best thing the NEU could do for both its members and for children and young people would be to sit down and talk about pay.

I will continue doing everything I can to end the disruption your family is facing as quickly as possible, particularly because I know exams for older pupils are coming up fast.

I hope any arrangements you make this week mean that pupils’ education can continue – even if not in the classroom – and that the next time I write it will be with news that this disruption has been brought to an end.

Yours sincerely,

The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP
Secretary of State for Education

She won't negotiate via ACAS.

It's been offered numerous times to go via the neutral parties but she won't.

What are the government willing to put on the table? Isn’t it still nothing?

Would you mind explaining what going via ACAS means, @GuyFawkesDay ? Thanks

Talking to the mediators

Genuinely not goady?! Pull the other one. The NEU will talk, they just won’t call off the strikes to do so like Gillian wants. Fully support the strikes, Gillian is a joke and cares not one jot about the children in this country.

What?

Gillian Keegan wants the strikes called off before she negotiates.

That isn't the way things work and she is deliberately refusing to engage.

neu.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-03/060323%20-%20Joint%20union%20letter%20to%20Gillian%20Keegan_0.pdf

If you can't read the image you can see it via the link above. She said no.

That letter of Keegan's is deliberately inflammatory.

Gillian Keegan is being deliberately underhand. She will not negotiate unless the NEU call off strike action. She doesn't care less about the future of this country's education system.

The other unions called off strikes after been given an offer they believe to be acceptable to offer to their members. The NEU haven’t been given any offer.

Keegan wants all strikes called off, and won't go to ACAS. She is the one refusing to negotiate

You should be asking why the government are refusing to talk to the teaching unions.

Still, they won't have any excuse come Friday, they can't use the strikes as a reason to not negotiate.

Gillian Keegan didn’t bother to go and talk at the conferences at the weekend as she said she would be too busy in pay talks with the teachers. She didn’t bother doing the pay talks either, though.

Wonder what she did at the weekend that was more important than sorting this out?

At least the strikes are going ahead…in Wales, the NEU have rolled over and have cancelled this week’s strikes because Welsh Govt are prepared to talk, but the offer on the table is absolute shite.

However, that is at least one step beyond NASUWT who couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery and get its members whipped up to vote. FFS I despair.

This is pretty much what I wondered but the wording wasn’t very clear. Thanks.

As others have said it’s her refusal to sit down the the unions which is causing the issues. She isn’t willing to engage

Definitely goady.

I'm not a teacher, not in education. This government give not one fuck about education, children or anything other than lining their own pockets.

-7 out of 10.

Gillian Keegan has also said that any money that would have gone to teachers will now be going to nurses.

Not just me who thought it was a piss poor offer then! I did think that's hardly worth losing pay over.

Ooh, do you have a quote for that? Sounds like someone had a bit of a tantrum there!

Here: schoolsweek.co.uk/strikes-dfe-ups-the-ante-with-warning-teachers-could-miss-a-deal/

@Cantseethewindows there is a schools week article about it. Apparently she said there is one pot of money and by not being in talks the money may be gone and teachers may miss out. I can't believe how this is panning out.

I would love to be in my classroom tomorrow but instead I am trying to make the point that things must change.

Previously this type of action has been talked through whilst strikes continue. Mick Lynch talked while strikes continued. This is a new development and is an attack on workers rights. 'We will not talk to you while you are striking.' Is definitely part of the plan to reduce workers rights.

A typical government tactic of pitting everyone against everyone else. Divide and rule technique.
It won't work.

That letter is a deliberate attempt to pit parents against teachers and only gives half the story. The NET'a response is on line at
neu.org.uk/press-releases/response-gillian-keegans-letter