Who is/isn't striking among the NUT members here?

[lifeissweet]

Facing a dilemma. My beliefs about unions are based on the fact that united we have a voice. People fought to have the right to unionise. If a union calls a strike, then I believe all members have a responsibility to stand up together. Otherwise, we come across as divided, not united and it weakens us all.

Not for a long, long time has the teaching profession been under so much threat and we need to be united now more than at any time. Our terms and conditions are facing changes which will make teaching a far less stable and desirable profession (and not really a profession at all if unqualified teachers are allowed to take classes all over the place).

However, I am currently the only member of staff at my school who is prepared to strike on Thursday. Half of the other staff are NUT. Lots of the support staff are in striking unions, yet no one is striking (including the NUT rep). The Head has told me that if I strike I will be the only one and that he will have to close only my class that day and keep the rest of the school open, so everyone will know it is only me withdrawing my labour and am I 'prepared to take the flak for that?'

I'm not sure I am, but I believe really strongly in supporting the union. The thought of ignoring deeply held principles and breaking a strike sit uncomfortably with me.

My DS's school is closed on Thursday. Other local schools are too.

So is it just my school where there are no striking staff at all? And if you are NUT, why are you not striking? Is it just so as not to disrupt end of year activities, or because you think striking isn't helping? (I don't, incidentally, but will vote with my feet on that one and change unions when this is done.) How do you square that with yourself?

Not preaching. People have all manner of reasons for not striking. I just think I want to feel a bit less out on a limb!

Not a teacher and not in an union. What I don't understand is why join the NUT if you are not prepared to strike. I was under the impression that some unions do not promote striking - surely you join those?
I understand the issues with pay and pensions but at the same time we are family of private sector worker. A lot of teachers (not NQTs) will be earning similar if not more than my husband who is in a very stressful job. No overtime and on call 24/7. His final salary pension was stopped many years ago and the subsequent plan resulted in either the same payment in to the plan and less benefits or more payment to get the same. Now they are messing with it again. There have been more years without pay rises than with and they weren't anywhere near the MP's rise.

I don't want to get in to an argument about the politics of it all just to say it is happening everywhere. The terms and conditions aren't what he signed up for but he stays put as he won't earn the money anywhere else.
I have been lucky that I did find a better paid job (although part-time) and the pension is good but that could change.

Do you really think it bothers me that you don't believe me. Fine. Believe whatever you like. I was a senior manager in several educational establishments across the country and never went on strike.
Many teachers are opting not to strike even though the union is trying to bully them into it.
Your pay and conditions are good...live with it, or leave the job.

a lot of private sector workers don't get anything like the teachers get.
Why do teachers think they are the only people to work hard? They are paid very well IMO

Do all these parents really not give a shit about the huge numbers of teachers quitting? The severe shortage of decently qualified teachers in many subjects? The unqualified teachers being parked in front of classes because it's better than no one? The massive untested, unevidenced changes being made rushed through in education to suit a political timescale?

I'm your kid's maths teacher. Are you willing to tell me to my face to quit, and have your child's education made worse? If not, why would you say that to all teachers?

Telling teachers they've never had it so good/they've got gold played pensions/they're luckier than the private sector/their pay and conditions are good etc etc isn't stopping teachers leaving the profession in droves. Saying that they should just poke up with it, isn't filling the empty teaching positions.

What will?

highjumper

"Why do teachers think they are the only people to work hard?"

It seems to be people like you who push this myth.

cotwatcher

"Your pay and conditions are good...live with it, or leave the job."

With that attitude, I can't imagine that you where a very good manager.

"Many teachers are opting not to strike even though the union is trying to bully them into it."

They can't be very good bullies then.

'I was a senior manager in several educational establishments'

The lady who looks after our budgets is a senior manager, & my dc's karate klub is, I suppose, an educational establishment of sorts.

I'm not terribly persuaded that you have been a teacher in a school, cotwatcher; this doesn't mean you don't get to have an opinion on teachers' T&C, but you might want to do a little more fact-checking for some of your posts. The info's all in the public domain.

Sovery - 'EVERYONE should be entitled to get what they signed up for and not be bullied into accepting a worse deal just because they should be glad of a job' is a lovely thought but it doesn't work like that

Teachers just never listen. Private sector workers get paid less, work harder for less holidays and smaller pensions. Yet they think we should give more of our hard earned wages to them. That is why we are so angry, why will they never listen.

There is a recruitment crisis in teaching. People are leaving the profession in droves. Whatever is going on in teaching currently is causing this. A solution is needed-what could that be?

JJsleeping

"Teachers just never listen. Private sector workers get paid less, work harder for less holidays and smaller pensions. Yet they think we should give more of our hard earned wages to them. That is why we are so angry, why will they never listen."

Compared to who?
Compared to the cleaner I am very well paid.
Compared to an Oil rig worker, not so much.
Compared to an MP. Not very well paid at all (and they get better holidays and pension)

Compared to a private school teacher of a similar level, experience and responsibility, they get paid more, better perks and holidays. (no idea about the pension)

So are you going to compare like for like, job for job, education level for education level, or just generally?

Compared to most people, teachers are better off. Averages wise, you're way above most of us in earnings, holidays (and yes, I know you work in them too, but DH, even taking out the working in the holidays- and that's quite a lot- still has more holiday than most people) and protection. I don't earn as much as most normal teachers and I have to go to conflict zones.

UNISON's website says the strike is about low pay. The NUT's website shows 5 aims of the strike:-

1. remove excessive workload
2. end performance related pay
3. reverse unfair pension changes
4. make sure talks with the unions are about policies, not just their implementation
5. make sure we have enough teachers

www.nut.org.uk/files/strike-a5-6pp--9548-.pdf

So the reasons for the strike are pretty muddled, and I'm unclear how the strike will actually achieve any of them in any case.

Forgot to post- just because everything is going down for other workers, SHOULDN'T mean you don't try and stop it for you. Just because others are in a bad position, doesn't mean it's fair for you to be dragged down.

"Compared to most people", "Averages wise"

But do "most people" have the same level of education, the same level of responsibility, the same paperwork?

Only when you compare like for like can you draw a real comparison.

"So the reasons for the strike are pretty muddled"

The reason for the strike is to get the government around the table.

BoneyBackJefferson
Which table is the government supposed to get around? And then what is the government supposed to do when it gets there?
NUT cited five reasons for the strike on their website at the url I cited earlier. UNISON have cited a sixth reason that may be related to one of the NUT's aims. Now you are coming along with another reason: "to get the government around the table", as if that were some kind of valid purpose in its own right. Again, you still have not specified how the strike will achieve this.

The point of any strike is to get both sides to talk, the government is refusing to even enter discussions.

"you still have not specified how the strike will achieve this."

I have a feeling that you are just being obtuse with this one.

I'm a primary school teacher and have planned my end of term World War Two class trip to Cosford today. I will not be striking the children are my first priority.

I am not teaching at the moment, I would be striking because education is my top priority.

I'm a late entrant to teaching, & previously worked at quite senior levels in both public & private sector.

IMHO, all the stuff about "teaching profession under attack" is mendacious crap: all teachers, however good or bad, are far more secure than pretty much anyone in the private sector - does anyone actually know of a teacher sacked for incompetence (rather than misconduct)? I don't, though I do know a couple who have been given big pay-offs to retire on "health grounds". They couldn't cope with the stress of being shit teachers.

And most of the rest of the public sector have far more rigorous performance appraisal etc than teachers - try getting promoted in the Armed Forces without being really good at your job!

Of course, I'd love to be paid more & retire earlier & get a bigger pension but I accept that that cannot happen without bankrupting my DC's generation.

Most of the real issues can & should be dealt with at a local level: I have the great luck to teach in a good EBD school with a great head whose motto is "Teach the kids and f*ck the paperwork". In order to support him, I moved from a striking union to a non-striking one (Voice), and would encourage all other teachers / support staff to do the same.