Strike Ballot

[Newrumpus]

I’m struggling with this for the first time ever. I was so unhappy with my union during the school covid closures (and that whole period) that I almost left. But I didn’t. I have thought that the last few teacher strikes I have participated in have been ill judged but I have supported them out of duty.
Looking at the enormous backlog caused by school closures and the wider lockdowns, I am struggling to personally support strike action on this occasion. I think had the unions been stronger previously, we might not be in the position we are regarding pay. But given that we are here, I am unsure that strike action is the right thing to do.
What are others’ intentions, please?

Looking at the bigger economic picture the rail, postal, bus drivers and threatened nurses strikes, I feel that the cost of living crisis is having wider impacts. See Winter of discontent 1978

But I'm left wing and support the workers right to strike whomever they are. Work to rule doesn't work in teaching.

Also resent being seen as child care by people who dislike teachers purely because they are teachers, so it doesn't bother me if they dislike me a little bit more because of it.

I agree pay has been poorly negotiated by unions since Tory rule.

Because I like my job, I wouldn't strike if ofsted were in.

Serious question- How are kids meant to catch up when schools can't recruit subject specialist teachers?

For the first time, this September, a lot of secondary schools in my county had unfilled posts (particularly science and maths, but also in other subjects which you wouldn't necessarily consider "shortage").

I left a school due to various factors at the end of the summer- one of the factors was cost of living in that area, rents were high and I'd never be able to get a mortgage. I know the school is struggling to recruit, and I feel COL/location is a factor in that. I do feel hugely guilty about leaving, and I know some of my former KS3 classes are being taught by a qualified teacher who is not a subject specialist. I do think, unfortunately, this won't be great for them.

Recruitment onto ITT courses this September is dire.

I know several of the cohort I trained with pre-pandemic have already got out or are looking at getting out- either to teach internationally, or private schools or non-teaching jobs.

If you look at some of the other recent threads on mumsnet, there are a lot of students in a lot of schools who aren't being taught by qualified teachers, or only by supply teachers. This won't lead to the best possible outcomes for the students.

I don't know how support staff manage, and a lot of them are leaving too. I know we can't legally strike on their behalf, but that is part of it for me.

Yes, there is an unfunded pay rise on the table, but paying it will push school budgets into the red, it's not a solution.

Do I think the unions have made mistakes in the past? Yes. But those things are done, and we can't change them. I think if we lose this ballot, their bargaining power on a national level will only get weaker.

I am voting to strike. I am not happy with that decision post-covid and the damage that was done to our profession as a result, But this can’t go on. For me, the pay rise is only part of it. Our children and future generations and ultimately our whole country and the place it plays in the world are being undermined. This is not a world-class education and it’s barely mediocre. I can’t stand by and do nothing any longer and I a, not ready to leave the profession,

I’ll vote to strike, but I really wish the unions would sort their messaging out. The video that NASUWT put on social media was awful. It just made us look like whiny and ‘poor us’.

What we really need to focus on is the impact on students of an unfunded pay rise: less funding for SEN pupils, fewer teachers/LSAs in school, more difficulty in recruitment/retention etc.

Unions are only as strong as the members standing with them

The recent pay rise - is a real term pay cut for all teachers (even if you are at the lower end and get the '5%.. that those with more experience will not get)

90% of schools are facing a deficit budget, if nothing else strike for the rise to be funded.

If you don't stand now - when do you stand?

It’s the fact the current offer is unfunded that is making me think I will vote to strike. On a personal level we’re ok financially and I can see how much many of our families are impacted by the cost of living rises etc so not sure how sympathetic they will be to us striking but we are doing more and more with less and less and schools cannot deal with the unfunded rise. It is unacceptable and shows how little those in power value state education.

However the messaging is so tricky. We are only allowed to strike over our own pay and conditions, not anything political. So I don’t know how clear the unions are able to be about the funded nature of rises vs unfunded & impact on children.

The power of a union is largely perception-based. They could not have been stronger or pushed harder during previous pay decisions because, in truth, they have no strength. The only move they have is declaring a strike and their members withdrawing their labour. It is only the other side's belief that this could happen that gives their words any weight at all.

If after years of real-terms pay cuts, the deliberate and persistent underfunding of education, the government-directed demonisation of the profession and the ever-increasing weight of the workload, teachers don't heed the call to strike now then the unions will never have a perception of power again.

So I'm striking, not because we should have a higher increase (though we should) nor because it's unfunded (which will harm all children), but because if I don't, I'm giving the Government, now and in the future, the right to ravage and raid my profession for all they can.

If not now, when?

@Iamnotthe1 excellent post

Yes to all of this. I posted my ballot paper this morning; I voted YES / YES.

Iamnotthe1
has helped me with this as I’m struggling.

I agree that the education system is a mess and I wish the Unions could communicate this to parents. Many are blissfully unaware of the shortage of qualified teachers and the lack of resources particularly for SEN. They just think we want cash and therefore it’s not fair.
I also worry that Academisation has meant a lot of waste in schools. SLTs (some non teaching or even not even teachers!) on huge salaries whilst TAs and caretakers face redundancy. It appears similar to the waste in the NHS, penpushers rather than at the chalk face.
if schools could communicate their lack of staff, the need to close early etc (I think the govt have banned the Friday closing for PPA) to run it would be better PR for the star we’re in.

I think the union leaders do try to communicate this sometimes, but they have to be careful with the messaging around the strike, due to legalities around what we can strike over. I have seen union posts around how many teachers leave in the first few years etc.

I don't think there is clear messaging about how bad it is in some schools, but there should be more of this. BUT I think the unions are really concerned about the government using flimsy excuses (rightly or wrongly) to challenge the ballot legally.

There's no reason we as teachers can't talk about the conditions in schools, though.