Teachers' strike this autumn

[EdithWeston]

BBC story here.

NUT (England and Wales) has voted for strike action (27% turnout, 82.5% in favour; so view in favour expressed by 22.3% of membership). Dates not yet announced, but would be this term.

"NASUWT has been working to rule since last December"

are you sure? Most of DH's team are in nasuwt and no one is working to rule and have never started.

Yes Laurie, look on the NASUWT website under action short of strike action, it's been ongoing since last year. Refusal to cover, be observed more than 3 hours, lunch duty, extra-curricular activities unless freely volunteered for, clerical duties, invigilation and so on.

No one is doing that though, that's so weird

I mean it's the least effective work to rule thing I've ever heard of

My DH is NASUWT and he isn't working to rule atm.

They will run out of public sympathy very fast, if they have much to start with. A 27% turnout is ridiculous and hands the Tories on a plate a way to insist there is a minimum turnout before a strike.

No, I don't suppose it's effective if you don't do it.

Although perhaps your DH works at a school where there not asked to do stuff against the rules anyway.

My school is pretty decent, we had a big meeting, the head discussed it with us and so on.

Just asked him and apparently he is!
They are quite well organised though so I don't think it's made a lot of difference.
Although next week is open evening which will finish by 9. WTR says no, but it can have an effect on student numbers, do rock and hard place anyone??

Open evening is directed time in my school so wouldn't be an issue. Are they not in his school??

Working to rule is pretty impossible in Primary, I don't know about Secondary. The week we were meant to start was the school Christmas fair and then the performances. How could we just say no? It wouldn't be fair on the children. This is the problem, we don't like striking, we struggle to work to rule and we are being walked over. No wonder so many are leaving the profession. I know I can't work at this rate forever.

And before anyone brings it up, yes I did just have the summer holidays, of which I took 3 weeks off, the most time I've ever managed to not work since I qualified. The rest of the time was spent planning and preparing the classroom for the new year (displays, books, analysing data for groups, setting group and individual targets etc.).

BTW, I love my job, or I wouldn't do it, it is just getting harder and harder to prove I'm good at it, even though I know I am.

I have no idea, will endeavour to find out.

Given the incredibly low turnout, I suspect many will not actually strike or work to rule. Less than a quarter of membership voted in favour.

the NUT and the NASUWT have today announced joint action short of strike action as part of our campaign to protect pay and working conditions.

The action will commence on 26 September

A 27% turnout is ridiculous and hands the Tories on a plate a way to insist there is a minimum turnout before a strike.

I don't know that it is ridiculous if you consider we are stuck with Cameron as PM for just a few percent more than that.

If they declare the same for General Elections, I wouldn't mind.

That's not an apples to apples comparison Feenie.

The turnout in the 2010 election was 65.1% so significantly more than a majority.

The fact that we have more than a simple yes/no vote in the general election is the reason the Tories didn't get a majority. If we only could form a government if they got more than 50% of all the votes then we simply would never form any government.

And to be completely accurate we are 'stuck with Cameron as PM' because the Tories went into coalition with the Lib Dems which then gave them a combined percentage of 59.1% which is over the halfway mark. (36.1%+23%)

Had an email from NASUWT today claiming action SHORT of strike action. So I'm assuming no closures.

Wolfiefan

Its a work to rule there should be a link in the email.

Yes. Confused why word strike is used and people concerned about students being turned away from shut schools.

Because the situation may escalate to joint strike action if the government won't negotiate.

I understand that but can't see any sign of imminent strikes. They have yet to
Implement the new scheme and give the government time to respond (or more likely completely ignore the action!)

65% of the electorate voted. 36% voted Tory. So in reality 23% of the electorate voted Cameron in.

Not so different to the 22% of the NUT who voted to strike, whether we quibble about comparing apples with apples or not.