Teachers strike on Thursday

gregg1

[QUOTE=Spendless;44778874]Just like assumptions made by people who haven't worked in the private sector?
There's not always unions in an industry connected to the private sector. DH has worked in same industry for almost 30 years, there's never been a union. He's had his pension contributions reduced for the past 3 years and took a pay cut 2 years ago.

I've had various different jobs since leaving school in the mid 1980s, there's been a union at a place I worked once.

Yes, it totally sucks having to work till 68. When I started my working life, the retirement age was 60, but aren't we all going to have to accept this? I don't completely agree with the public sector earn less either, this may be true for some areas of the country, but not all. Public sector workers where I live are higher paid than most private sector ones, where the huge majority of job are at NMW or just above.[/QUOTE]

Why did you leap to the assumption that I have not. FYI I have, for 20 years!!! I speak with the experience of someone who has worked in both sectors. That comment just proved you are not doing your research before you give an opinion!!

alexandrajj

I'm keeping both mine off school. Why on earth would you send one and keep one at home?

jellyhead

I send one and keep one at home on up to ten teacher training days per year (2 kids, 2 schools) and the general election, snow days etc. so this is no different.

Janepig

alexandrajj wrote: »

I'm keeping both mine off school. Why on earth would you send one and keep one at home?

What's the problem with keeping one home and sending one to school? Any good argument against doing that? I'd like to hear it.

Jxx

looby75

jellyhead wrote: »

I send one and keep one at home on up to ten teacher training days per year (2 kids, 2 schools) and the general election, snow days etc. so this is no different.

same here, there DD's and DS's schools often have different teacher training days, so one is off and one is in school.....they take great enjoyment in winding each other up about it too lol

Just found out that DD's school will be closed on Thursday, but it doesn't affect her as she's finished her exams and only has to go back to hand her text books in and then in August for her results.

Still no word about ds school though.

FATBALLZ

Dorisb wrote: »

You are writing this as if I have made no plans for my retirement - I had plans - the Government want to go back on agreements and move the goalposts - this is not acceptable!

That's the realities of pensions though, the economic and social realities at the time somebody signs up to a pension scheme may not be the same 40 years later. In the private sector the terms of pension schemes have to adjust to the new realities otherwise the companies offering them go bust. It isn't reasonable to expect the taxpayer to foot the public sector pensions bill for promises made years ago that are no longer realistic in todays world.

Also given that pension rights accrued to date will be protected, nobody nearing retirement should really have their plans adversely affected. Everyone else should just have to adjust to the economic realities of the world - assuming nothing ever changes is just silly.

Dorisb

FATBALLZ wrote: »

That's the realities of pensions though, the economic and social realities at the time somebody signs up to a pension scheme may not be the same 40 years later. In the private sector the terms of pension schemes have to adjust to the new realities otherwise the companies offering them go bust. It isn't reasonable to expect the taxpayer to foot the public sector pensions bill for promises made years ago that are no longer realistic in todays world.

Also given that pension rights accrued to date will be protected, nobody nearing retirement should really have their plans adversely affected. Everyone else should just have to adjust to the economic realities of the world - assuming nothing ever changes is just silly.

The NUT’s agreement with the Government in 2006 made changes to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme
that made it sustainable for the long term. The House of Commons Select Committee and the National
Audit Office have both confirmed that the cost of public sector pension schemes will fall as planned. Lord
Hutton’s final report says that public sector pensions if unchanged from now would fall from 1.9 per cent
of GDP now to 1.4 per cent of GDP in 2060.

This agreement made provision for teachers to pay more for their pensions, or for other changes to be
made if the valuation requires it. This shows the willingness of teachers to accept their share of any
increasing costs – but the Government wants to abandon that agreement and impose changes without
any informed basis from a valuation and, for the move from RPI to CPI, without any negotiations at all.

milliebear00001

FATBALLZ wrote: »

That's the realities of pensions though, the economic and social realities at the time somebody signs up to a pension scheme may not be the same 40 years later. In the private sector the terms of pension schemes have to adjust to the new realities otherwise the companies offering them go bust. It isn't reasonable to expect the taxpayer to foot the public sector pensions bill for promises made years ago that are no longer realistic in todays world.

Also given that pension rights accrued to date will be protected, nobody nearing retirement should really have their plans adversely affected. Everyone else should just have to adjust to the economic realities of the world - assuming nothing ever changes is just silly.

Except that in this case, the promises were made in 2006 and nothing has changed since then except the Government. Our scheme remains sustainable in the long term - even the coalition are refusing to prove otherwise by revaluing it.

In terms of the impact of the strike - we will never impact on children's educational lives massively - even if we strike over several isolated days (to me that is a good thing). We will impact on the economy though and that is where the Government will care - they don't care about education, but they do about money.

milliebear00001

Janepig wrote: »

Well as I posted previously, my children's school is open, but I'm not aware of how many teachers there are NUT members anyway, and actually, with all that goes with members of striking unions crossing their own picket line; rather than using how many NUT members stay off work on Thursday as a guide to whether they endorse the strike action or not, I would use how many turn up to picket, and/or other public protests on Thursday as a guide.

My feelings on the futility of strike action are known, and as a member of a union I would vote against strike action, but I accept that should the majority of those voting go in favour of strike action then I would stay off work and not cross the picket line. I wouldn't picket, and I wouldn't join any protest, but I would stay off and lose a day's pay. I'm sure there's many that feel as I do (there's plenty of people I work with who feel the same) so as I say, just because people stay off during a strike, doesn't mean they agree with the action.

Jxx

Many schools won't hold a picket because many of their colleagues will belong to the union that isn't striking and so will have to turn up for work. Very few teachers would picket and make life difficult for their colleagues who are not allowed to strike.

Many people don't vote in the ballots - just as many don't vote in elections. It doesn't mean they don't care about their pension or won't come out on strike. Also, many won't have received a ballot paper/lost it/forgot about it etc etc.

Janepig

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Many schools won't hold a picket because many of their colleagues will belong to the union that isn't striking and so will have to turn up for work. Very few teachers would picket and make life difficult for their colleagues who are not allowed to strike.

Many people don't vote in the ballots - just as many don't vote in elections. It doesn't mean they don't care about their pension or won't come out on strike. Also, many won't have received a ballot paper/lost it/forgot about it etc etc.

With regard to your first point, where I work there are at least 3 different unions active, and there have been pickets outside the office when they've done so. There are pretty strict rules and regs in place (which I found out when my union called a strike afew years ago) about picketing, how many you can have on a picket line, how you must behave towards those not picketing, etc.... and not adhering to these can result in disciplinary action. I also have cause to go to the Magistrates Court for work and the PCS union some there belong to have gone on strike in the past (as they are on Thursday) and have always picketed outside and have always been well mannered to those of us who are not. This is certainly not a reason for teachers not to picket outside schools - as I'm sure some will.

Secondly, if you feel that strongly about the issue at hand then you vote, simple as that. I feel strongly about not striking and would be sure to cast my vote because of that strength of feeling. If I wasn't bothered either way then I wouldn't bother voting - to me, less than 40% of NUT members bothering to vote either way tells me that there just isn't that strength of feeling amongst the majority of members.

Jxx