Question about teacher strikes. Not intended to be goady.

[rupertpenryswife]

Hi I am interested in the proposed teachers strike, I know it's related to pay but couldn't find anything online, I have just been told that my DC primary is likely to be closed this Wednesday and possibly 3/4/5 July .

Of course the parents are complaining as they need to work as do I (emergency services) but none of us really understand the full story, I would like to be able to understand a bit more.

Where are you? I’m a teacher and it’s the first I’ve heard of it.

South east. Not sure how much to say without outing myself. It is an academy if that makes any difference.

I believe this is a very localised issue (only affecting about 12 schools) concerning local levels of pay being lower than other areas. I'm not in the area so don't know any more.

Very specific to your area - if you google your local paper it gives some details. All to do with the LA paying lower rates than recommended.

Oh thank you will google local paper. Did not realise pay rates could be set like that. I'm guessing that is not a good thing, our school has been through so much and the teachers have worked so hard. Does this mean the trust that runs the academy has set the pay rates? Sorry to ask so much I'm NHS but have been very vocal in supporting the teaching staff as they have historically not been treated very well but this trust.

This is around how the pay awards last year were awarded at a national level and how they were then recommended at an LA level, which individual schools have then agreed, using the LA figures.
The pay awards were not lower than recommended nationally, because there were no absolute recommendations for these particular grades. It was a different interpretation of the pay award which the union has taken exception to, because not everybody got the same % increase.

Ok that makes sense thank you admission. So it sounds unlikely it will be resolved then. Just out of interest does anyone know how big the % difference is?

1% difference