Teachers warn of strike action (From The Argus)
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Teachers warn of strike action in Brighton and Hove schools
4:30pm Wednesday 20th March 2013 in News By Peter Truman
Up to 2,000 teachers could walk out on strike potentially closing schools across the city.
Two of the biggest teaching unions announced on Monday, March 18 a series of joint strikes.
The NUT and NASUWT said the campaign was to defend “pay, pensions and win improvements on working conditions”.
The first days of strike action will be regional strikes, involving every part of the country in turn, beginning on June 27.
The NUT said it had not confirmed the date for Brighton and Hove yet but was trying to give the government as much time as possible to enter into meaningful talks in a bid to avert the action.
The regional strikes will be followed by a national strike in the second half of the autumn term.
It is understood the union represents at least 75% of the city’s teaching workforce.
It means up to 2,000 teachers could go on strike, which would likely lead to a large number of schools being forced to close.
'Attack on teachers'
Ron Gordon, president of Brighton and Hove National Union of Teachers, said: “This announcement has not been made lightly.
"The government has today been made very aware of the anger that teachers across the country feel about the continued attack on their terms and conditions, the inability of the government to deal with the rise in demand for school places, and its ongoing attempt to privatise schools.
“The timing of this action has been chosen to ensure that examination classes are not affected and allows plenty of time for the government to engage in meaningful negotiations with the teaching unions.”
Not listening
Both unions said more action would follow if education minister Michael Gove did not listen to the concerns of teachers about pay, pensions and workload.
It is the first time either union has announced such a programme of action and the first time the two have worked together in the interests of teachers and education.
A DfE spokesman said: “We are very disappointed that the NUT and NASUWT have decided to take strike action, which less than a quarter of teachers actually voted for.
"Industrial action will disrupt pupils' education, hugely inconvenience parents and damage the profession's reputation in the eyes of the public at a time when our reforms are driving up standards across the country.”
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Comments(3)
lanabrown28
says...
10:59pm Wed 20 Mar 13
mimseycal
says...
1:21am Thu 21 Mar 13
Osborne's budget has done little more then throw cheap money at the banks and open up massive loopholes for multinationals to use in tax evasion. Cutting public sector jobs by the hundreds of thousands, freezing public sector pay, increase the price of food by the 20% VAT rate (which will have an impact on inflation) cutting benefits to those who need it most ... with manufacturing and construction dying, it will lead us all into a triple dip recession.
Fight_Back says...
6:30pm Wed 20 Mar 13
They should get back to work and actually do what they're paid ( and well paid ) to do.