Teachers to strike - 30 June

[meditrina]

breaking now on SKY

Overwhelming vote by 2 teachers' unions (92%)

Under the current proposals, are pension years earned to date to be preserved under the existing terms, and new terms for that part of the career after the change-over date?

The choice to strike as a teacher is a difficult one and one that most of us see only as a last option. Lots of schools are facing cuts in budgets, numbers of pupils and jobs - this is across the country.

The 'become a teacher' adverts are very misleading and suggest levels of pay that most classroom teachers outside London will never see, I am only just reaching that level after 10 years and having management responsibility.

Yes, we do get long holidays, but we also work very long hours during term time - well over the 48 hours maximum weekly - the holidays balance this out. It is a myth that we work from 9:00-3:30.

The pension used to be seen as a way of balancing out the fact that, compared to some other careers which insist on postgraduate qualifications (e.g. doctors and lawyers), teaching was much lower paid. I'm not saying other people are not underpaid - there are huge numbers of jobs where people deserve to be paid much more. I think some of the issue is changing the pension for existing teachers rather than just for those chosing to enter the profession.

Sorry this is so long, but it does annoy me when people make sweeping judgements about whole groups of people.

'but can see teachers rapidly losing public sympathy and support if it goes on and on.'

Since when have teachers had public sympathy and support?
I went on strike in the '80s and some things improved.
We didn't strike over the huge amount of paperwork and new shiny initiatives that have been imposed on us in quantity every year over the 27 years I've been teaching, and the result seems to be that we are flotsam on whatever the government of the time deem the tide to be.
So let's see if striking works this time. Asking nicely, working our arses off and being good about tackling every new half-baked idea forced upon us by the government hasn't done us much good.
That's why unions were founded surely, to protect the workforce.

University lecturers' union has voted in favour of strike action too.

Oh dear my sons last year this really would end his school career on a bad note

That's my dh's union, meditrina. We face losing up to £200 per month in extra contributions, even though the government have not carried out a valuation of the scheme - just plucked 3% out of the air, it would seem. It may not be much to them as a vague figure, but it's a hell of a lot to us.

Really, maypole1 - one day off after his exams?

Oh dear my sons last year this really would end his school career on a bad note Oh I didn't realise, we'd better call it off then . No hang on, if it's his last year he'll have already left, won't he? What a strange post, unless you mean that you are sad that after receiving an excellent education, the teachers who delivered it to him have now been driven, reluctantly, to this action.

I absolutely support the teachers strike .

Hopefully other public sector workers will be out too.

The spotlight has already been on Nhs pensions.

To default on a pension deal signed up for when you entered a profession is totally wrong.

I've never been in favour of striking but I can't afford the extra contributions that I will have to pay. So I am probably one of those selfish buggers...

lucyspangle: that's why I asked about whether pension accrued prior to date of change will be preserved, or will changes apply retrospectively?

If retrospective, then that is a worrying development - a first, and applicable to everyone in the public sector.

If the changes only apply to the part of the career after implementation date, then, serious as it is for teachers, it is no where near as alarming.

Does anyone know which it is?

'To default on a pension deal signed up for when you entered a profession is totally wrong'

Agreed.

What will happen to the pension if people pull out?

dh pays 11% into his public sector pension. Yhey're talking of putting that up to 14%.

I support them, but wish that the strike could be on a day that I don't work.

30th June means I'll end up paying extra CM fees

If you check public sector contracts, you will invariably find provision for changes. The contract will state something along the lines of access to scheme XYZ (or its successor) under whatever terms are in force at the time.

Well it'll cost my place of work a lot of money that they haven't got. Teachers on strike means school visits cancelled, means we still have to pay the people we had booked to teach the groups but we won't get the money from the schools to cover it. So that's a chunk off our paltry budget.

I don't what the deal is regarding existing pensions.

I will join my fellow union members and strike. I signed up to a pension scheme in good faith, the job is not well paid for how demanding it is and I can't afford the huge increase in contributions the current idiots in government want.

To those who are concerned about being inconvenienced by the strike - well, isn't that the whole point? A strike really wouldn't be effective if it made no difference to anyone else, would it?

Our DCs are off that day as it's an inset day. Thought it was odd to have one on a Thursday - now I know why. Obviously they want to join the strike, but don't want to disrupt the children's education too much. Good on 'em I say.

dreamingofsun Tue 14-Jun-11 19:07:03
public sector pensions should be in line with what the private sector gets.

_

"Does that equally mean that public sector pay should also be in line with the private sector? Because I know that most professions who have similar levels of degree and post grad qualifications will earn far more than your average teacher after about the first 3 years of working"

Just what I was going to say, Hulababy!

Does anyone know what happens if you are in a different union? My union isn't striking, but isn't there an unwritten agreement between teaching unions that you don't undermine the strike of another union by covering the work of another union member?

So as a member of NASUWT I would be breaking that agreement if I covered the work of a striking NUT colleague (therefore undermining their strike action)? Is that right? Or am I just making it up??

I hate the idea of striking. I could probably just about afford the higher contributions, but the extra £120 per month (plus my H is public sector and has had changes to his pension), plus the pay freeze, mean I will be spending at least £200 a month less in our local businesses, so these things have a knock on effect far wider than just my pay packet. Secondly, it is a myth that things are awful for everyone in the private sector, they are fine for some workers still. As teachers, we cannot go in search of a better pay deal, or better benefits, because it is standard. We can't take our good references and great history of results and use it to bag ourselves a payrise.

Our DCs are off that day as it's an inset day. Thought it was odd to have one on a Thursday - now I know why. Obviously they want to join the strike, but don't want to disrupt the children's education too much. Good on 'em I say.

Schools usually try to plan INSET days at the beginning of the year to help parents plan - but they couldn't have known about June 30th until a few weeks ago.

Newport
That is right - you shouldn't be asked to cover for a striking colleague.

I'm disappointed this is the only thing Teachers strike about, our education standards have plummeted over the last 15 years are our standing internationally is embarrassing and behaviour has driven 1/3 of staff to depression with many off with stress, whilst there has been much grumbling on TES about faddy new techniques the only thing teachers of today seem to care about is money and holidays.

Wasn't so long ago teachers in Scotland started on 14k, now its 20k with maximum 22hrs teaching.

Teachers on 30k for 6 months work are never going to get sympathy although not many understand the hard work and stresses involved.