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

Piggywaspushed
Copy and paste right back at you Clav

Yes - I think I have posted that link myself in the past.

Is she calling students stupid as well? It's the attitude that is off putting I'm afraid. Laughing @CallmeAngelina

noblegiraffe
If she were Gillian Keegan, she'd be getting about £320 per day

Not great job security though - easy to sack a cabinet minister.

Certainly she should be worried about job security as Education Secretary.

The constant and ridiculous turnover points to how little the Tories value education.

She should expect, what, another couple of months in the job?

@Callmenat Let's see how hard you're laughing when your child has no qualified teacher. You'll be begging for any wine with a qualification to step in, regardless of whether you like their attitude.

I don't think @noblegiraffe called anyone stupid, least of all any children.

Tbf I called the government fuckwits for not investing in education.

That seems like fair comment.

Sorry, I thought you meant a different poster. I take it back!

noblegiraffe
The constant and ridiculous turnover points to how little the Tories value education

Four Labour MPs have been Shadow Education Secretary since April 2020 - 'glowing references' for three of them here:

news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-labours-kate-green-after-urging-activists-not-to-let-a-good-crisis-go-to-waste-12084200
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53183085
www.itv.com/news/2020-02-07/long-bailey-vows-to-back-all-strikes-no-questions-asked-as-labour-leader
www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/26/angela-rayner-stands-by-remarks-calling-tories-scum

Four Labour MPs have been Shadow Education Secretary since April 2020

So? I'm sure you don't need this explaining to you, but they're not the government.

Definitely fair in that case!

I'm sure you don't need this explaining to you, but they're not the government

Thank goodness for that!!

Any wine? I don't follow.

Good to see headteachers expressing solidarity with striking teachers.

Yep.
I am paid for the weekends I work and the ‘holidays’ I work (not sure everyone else works on their holidays but there we go) it works out not very much if you look at it hourly in the week and bearable when you look at it over a year.
But can I tell you something else? I’d do it for free. I love my job; I believe in it so passionately - it’s the best job in the world.
It’s unfortunate that everyone has
an opinion on it as we have all been to school. I wouldn’t begin to start commenting on how hard care workers or nurses or retail assistants etc etc have it as i haven’t done that job. @TheMoth said earlier up the thread that everyone hates us and it’s shit. Public forums seem to think we don’t work hard enough, ofsted is constantly changing goalposts, there is no funding and COVID was a shit show for our children.

This is the career I chose. It’s just fucking hard now. Harder than it’s ever been and I’m giving more than I ever have. It’s not about my wage: it’s about the whole Sorry mess we are in.

Margaritawithlime
Yep.
I am paid for the weekends I work and the ‘holidays’ I work

Many a teacher on Mumsnet has claimed they are 'not paid for the holidays'.

You are paid for the weekends and holidays you don't work as well - as demonstrated by your calculation.

@Callmenat Sorry, autocorrect took it upon itself to change "anyone" to "any wine."

noblegiraffe
Good to see headteachers expressing solidarity with striking teachers

How do you know the majority of headteachers express solidarity? I thought the NAHT ballot in England had not met the legal threshold for a strike?

The only people who truly know what it is like to be a teacher are teachers. And junior doctors know about their profession. Surely they are not all lazy/feckless/making it up? Perhaps we should listen to them.

People are not going into teaching and existing ones are leaving. That’s terrifying. Who will teach the next generation?? If the pay, holidays, pension, conditions etc were so wonderful, teachers would not be leaving en masse. It’s a tough job, made a million times harder by this inept government.

I am not a teacher or friends with any or related to any. But I can see what’s happening to their profession. The government needs to negotiate asap and make it an attractive profession. Before we lose any more good ones.

Many a teacher is sadly misinformed. As proven by our strike calculations we are paid a salary evened out over the year.

Read here

Don't think @noblegiraffe said "the majority."
If you're going to split hairs, @Clavinova, at least read others' posts properly.

The NAHT not meeting the threshold does not mean the same thing as headteachers disagreeing with classroom teachers striking.

I thought the NAHT ballot in England had not met the legal threshold for a strike?

About their own pay, yes. That says nothing about whether they support negotiations about teacher's pay and indeed they will be well aware of the recruitment difficulties in their schools, and the funding crisis.

So the NAHT sent letters of solidarity to the NEU.

And Geoff Barton, head of the ASCL said "parents should know that this week’s strikes could have been averted if proper negotiations had taken place to secure a settlement" & preconditions on talks created an "impasse" and "It is vital that any further talks are accompanied by a meaningful offer on pay and conditions which ends industrial action and addresses the underlying teacher recruitment and retention crisis"

It doesn't sound like the headteacher unions are on the government's side, and in fact wishes they'd stop fanning around and give teachers a pay rise.

@Callmenat
To quote you:
"Teachers get paid enough. Throw in huge job certainty and very generous pensions and I don't think they realise how good they have actually have it. I agree that there are alot of issues in eduction but the strikes aren't helping things. Money doesn't grow on trees."
Maybe you should train as a teacher yourself seeing as you think the pay & conditions are so good?

noblegiraffe
It doesn't sound like the headteacher unions are on the government's side

That's what unions do - they don't always speak for the majority of their members.