Teachers on strike - do they usually name names?

[hester]

Just had a letter from dc's school, warning us of strike action at the end of the month and listing by name those teachers who will be on strike, and those who won't. They will close the classes of the striking teachers, and keep open the others.

Is this normal practice? I would have thought it would expose individual teachers to some irate parents? I also expected that they would treat it as a whole school issue, provide what cover they can, maybe suspend lessons and hav a games day in the hall. And if they couldn't do that, close the whole school?

X posted jollydiane!

jollydiane - but how would you operate without the public sector, paying for education and then all the things that you get with business rates now would be a far greater cost to you than they are now, as companies would have to provide those services and they would do it for profit rather than do it as a none profit which is what you get now

It's great to see strix raising teachers above the level of normal mortals who have had the right to strike for quite some time, I understand. I am currently writing a supportive letter to the other reception teacher at dd's school Who is striking just in case she gets any nonsense of the kind strix is peddling. Dh is very glad his union isn't striking but of course would if they balloted to do so.

sun, that's sort of how I feel about teaching. In 20 years of my job this is the second time it has ever happened and the ATL NEVER strike.

whatever popular opinion is, teachers do not behave in a militant way and take their job extremely seriously.

I feel I need to understand this as clearly as I can and please don't anyone assume that teachers take this lightly.

their salaries get paid out of taxes taken from the earnings of the private sector

you don't seem to get the fact that the public sector do pay tax take the 23 million private sector workers and lets say the tax they pay is 4 million

now lets take the public sector workers and say they pay 1 million in tax

lets say it costs 5 million to fund the public sector

where does the money come from - it isn't just the private sector funding the public sector it is both

But also the public sector finds the private sector - they buy the good for sale and actually they buy 25% of those goods

I am glad that we are having a debate and still being jolly to each other.

ivykaty, I agree, I need you and I am happy to pay my taxes. However lets use the same logic, would you strike on me (pretend you are my employee) and see a profitable company fail because I could not give you a final salary pension?

If when I started with you working with you promised me a final salary pension - would you now revert your promise and fail to give me what you promised and what you took from me in part payment?

Don't forget I am not a teacher and usually I will do teacher bashing but not over this!

its how informed debate should be Jolly

MigratingCoconuts - I wish you all the best with things. I can see it won't be easy whatever happens. I guess the real question is: could a strike actually force the government to keep the final salary scheme going and if it did, how long would it take before the next government tried again to close it?

But I am wondering, when teaching unions ballot their members for a strike, do they actually explain in detail what is being proposed? As parents a letter came home from school tonight and the teacher's cause sounded rather like a tabloid headline "working longer, paying more and getting less". That sort of thing is fine for a letter to parents, but surely the teachers are getting a lot more detail than that about the proposals before being asked to vote on whether or not to strike?

My school has sent out letters saying certain classes are closed on Thursday and I've received my letter saying I'll be in breach of contract and will therefore lose a day's pay but that we should respect each other's deciscions etc

DS's school have said nothing

jollydiane - i suspect it would depend on whether or not you were British airways or not!

Grockle - why would you be in breach of contract? i don't understand. do you mean if you work or if you do not work?

Sun, we do get more info than that from the Union although I don't think any of us are daft enough not to realise that the unions are slightly biased

If I was running BA they would not be in the mess they are in

If I strike, I am in breach of contract - I am contracted to be at work and if I don't go, they don't pay me.

actually thats really scary - I wish now I hadn't gone and found the figures of how many people work in this country - adding 23.8 to 6.1 and getting30 million people work and we have a population of 70 million

Again using the same logic, are you suggesting that I should still pay an employee who does not turn up for work? If you stike you are withdrawing your labour surely you would not expect to be paid. Sorry if I have misunderstood.

Of course she isn't.

You do not pay workers that are striking and you do not pay their pension for the day or days they are striking either - the employee needs to lose the pay and also pay their own pension to have continual service otherwise they will have problems with their pension when they retire [irony]

I didn't suggest that at all. Of course I shouldnt be paid if I don't go to work. Which is why none of us go into this lightly

Do you think this is a one off strike or are there any others planned?

I hope the not being paid isn't the only reason you would not go into lightly...

At least the Tube strikes are off.

Others by at least two other unions are looking likely in the Autumn, jollydiane - they have yet to ballot though.

My Union have not suggested further dates but other unions are yet to ballot and I think Unison is also considering action which will effect lots of TAs