This government has actually achieved something in education!

[noblegiraffe]

It has managed to unite all the teaching unions.

There are 4 teaching unions, the NEU (the main one for teachers), the NASUWT (for teachers, less militant than the NEU), the ASCL (headteachers, SLT and college leaders) and the NAHT (headteachers, mainly primary).

That there are 4 teaching unions shows that there isn't much agreement between teachers.....UNTIL NOW.

All 4 of them voted overwhelmingly to reject the government offer of a funded £1000 one-off payment and 4.5% pay rise next year, only 0.5% of which would be funded with new money.

The NEU have already announced 5 more days of strikes, the NAHT and NASUWT have said they will be balloting for strike action for the summer, and the ASCL have said they're thinking about balloting.

The government, on the other hand, have said that the offer was final, they've now taken it off the table and have said there will be no further talks.

So the disruption will rumble on until the government actually get off their arses and engage in sensible negotiation.

I've been told many times on here that 'it's only on MN that teachers moan, in real life they all say everything is fine'. This doesn't seem to be something that can be claimed anymore.

I knew what you meant, sorry. I guess if it was en masse - just NEU fell flat on its face. People felt too guilty. It would need to be everyone and rules would need to be stricter. But I still think people would be reluctant because it directly affects the children in a way that this industrial action doesn’t really - it affects the parents. Worth considering though, I agree.

The tories don’t care about state education because most of their kids go to private schools. It doesn’t affect them. Also, Private school teachers benefit from the strikes in the long run, without having to lose any pay.

you don’t need to increase taxes. tax revenue will naturally increase when you pay people more. you might also move some people out of universal credit support as well - giving a further saving - not to mention the increase in vat receipts as people spend more. a public sector pay increase is not a complete net loss - some of it can be offset.

Work to rule in teaching doesn't work because there isn't a 'rule' to work to.

"I guess if it was en masse - just NEU fell flat on its face."

Not in my experience. Loads of schools near me (including my own) closed completely.

Plus, many thousands of teachers defected from NASUWT to the NEU just so they could join the strikes.

Yeah true.

If the leadership unions agreed on a number of hours though - 8-4. No more.

I don't think the government care about the strikes though? Until the rest of the country start kicking off over striking school staff (which many probably don't want to do as they support the staff who are striking), I don't think they will do anything.

You misunderstand me - the NEU held industrial action years ago that was supposed to be work to rule. It didn’t work.

https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/second-teachers-union-begins-work-to-rule-strike-action/

Hadn’t remembered it being NASUWT as well - there you go, two unions, failed miserably.

I remember the eork to rule,like someone said,it didn't work. I have been on strike for the 4 days but have been annoyed that others in the dept in the union could afford to do so if they wished. They haven't. I been in teachin a long time. The conditions are deteriorating for staff avd pupils. Education is in an absolute mess.

Yeah, you’re probably right Maximo.

I’m just urggggggg SO frustrated with the govt.

Me too. I can’t see what will work at the moment except coordinated strikes. Meanwhile, after 6 days of NEU action before that becomes a possibility, I am more and more skint.

Agree with your last two sentences particularly. Teachers and heads want to do a good job. They won't intentionally do a crap one (by working fewer prep hours), and as long as the children are in and schools are functioning as childcare this government wouldn't give a shit about a 'work to rule' that only damaging (state) schoolchildren's education. Just like it doesn't give a shit that staff shortages and tiny budgets are already doing so.

All that would happen though is anyone who left at 3.45 would get told off and many would stay later or come in earlier.

Yeah, I know Piggy

I just want a solution that won’t bankrupt me 🤷🏻‍♀️

All teachers need to strike continuously and not for the odd day here and there. It’d be a pain for a few weeks but would ultimately reap rewards. The odd day here and there in only some schools doesn’t work.

And a friend who works supply in the same specialism has her pick of jobs and has been able to literally name her price
Well here’s the answer - if a resource is scarce it attracts a higher price

Many fewer people are now affected by teachers’ strikes and those that are will be more likely to be annoyed and upset than sympathetic. The minimum wage person who has to take unpaid leave to look after their children will be much worse off than the teacher choosing to lose a day’s pay.

@Cyclingbanana

What some people don't realise is that for many teachers, it works out they are on very close to minimum wage when the hours they work are considered.

The job is stressful, very stressful. They deserve better

Support has grown since the start of industrial action.

I too would pay more tax if I knew it would improve education

Alternatively, the government could stop pissing money up the wall on whatever non-materialising grand project they’ve set their sights on this time, or awarding massive contracts to their incompetent mates.

Just NEU didn't fall flat on its face, just NEU striking got the government to the negotiating table, and got an offer.

And that offer, even though it was better than the current situation, was so shit that it has managed to piss off the majority of teachers in all unions, because it really demonstrated the contempt that the government still have for teachers in the face of a massive shortage of them.

The government badly misjudged the mood of the profession, particularly given the death of Ruth Perry creating a huge backlash against Ofsted that has also been shrugged off by the government as unimportant.

Teachers, it seems, are finally fed up of being walked over.

Again - that was part of an earlier conversation about NUT work to rule action in 2012 😊

Ah right! I'm not sure we ever stopped working to rule, it kind of fizzled out before it even started. We (NAS) got a booklet of things we shouldn't be doing, and it was basically 'don't run trips (unless you want to)', 'don't run clubs (unless you want to)' and 'don't do a lunch duty (unless you are paid extra for it)'.