Teachers strike on Thursday

mrs_marty

Are Scottish schools affected as I can't find anything nor has our school sent anything out. Thankfully Im sorted with childcare so no upheaval either way.

I do feel for the teachers and other public sector staff they provide vital services to us all and are the first to face cut backs. Do we hear of the MP's that caused all this mess taking cut backs pay freeze etc erm no! I dont like trades unions etc but what other voice do they have. It is far from ideal but sadly I fail to see what other choice they have.

Violetta_2

mrs_marty wrote: »

Are Scottish schools affected as I can't find anything nor has our school sent anything out. Thankfully Im sorted with childcare so no upheaval either way.

I do feel for the teachers and other public sector staff they provide vital services to us all and are the first to face cut backs. Do we hear of the MP's that caused all this mess taking cut backs pay freeze etc erm no! I dont like trades unions etc but what other voice do they have. It is far from ideal but sadly I fail to see what other choice they have.

I asked this earlier & received a helpful answer.

Violetta wrote: »

Is it just teacher's down south- I haven't heard anything about Scottish teachers striking.
If they strike during the holiday's no one will notice, well done teacher's on trying to stick up for yourselves & your rights.

milliebear00001 wrote: »

Just England and Wales Violetta.

balletshoes

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 respect, if union members do care about the issue they are being balloted about, and they don't vote, in my opinion they are unlikely to come out on strike unless they fancy a (unpaid) day off when they wake up in the morning.
I haven't voted in any ballot of my union's for years, because I consider the action they propose in balloting to be generally a waste of time which has no impact on the treasury's pay and conditions offers to us. If I thought it would make a difference, I would vote in ballots, and I would take strike action if it were agreed by the majority of voters.

milliebear00001

Janepig wrote: »

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

But lots won't form a picket line because one of the major unions will not strike. Simple as.

A much better indication of how much teachers care about the proposed changes, than either of the things you've mentioned, is the number of teachers belonging to NUT and ATL giving up a day's pay to strike on Thursday. I have no idea how many of them will do, but I'd bet it's more than the 40 odd percent that voted in the ballot.

milliebear00001

Have to say, I am LOVING Gove's suggestion that parents go in on Thursday to 'man' classrooms.

Be my guest folks. I would dearly love to invite some of my parents in and leave them to it sometimes!

make_me_wise

I agree with you milliebear. There is one parent in particular who I would love to see try to cope with my class. Would be a slight reality check!!!!

Janepig

milliebear00001 wrote: »

But lots won't form a picket line because one of the major unions will not strike. Simple as.

A much better indication of how much teachers care about the proposed changes, than either of the things you've mentioned, is the number of teachers belonging to NUT and ATL giving up a day's pay to strike on Thursday. I have no idea how many of them will do, but I'd bet it's more than the 40 odd percent that voted in the ballot.

Not sure I understand the first line of your reply.

But I still maintain, that even those who are apathetic and not bothered, and didn't vote either way, will still stay off work because you just don't go in to work when your union has called a strike. See earlier vocal responses in either this or another thread on the subject (can't remember) when I posted my opposition to strike action despite being a union member. Even though unions are pretty toothless these days, you still don't go to work when your union has called a strike. Unless teachers are somehow different, but I thought that they were a fairly politicised bunch and can't see many turning "scab" somehow.

Jxx

milliebear00001

Janepig wrote: »

Not sure I understand the first line of your reply.

But I still maintain, that even those who are apathetic and not bothered, and didn't vote either way, will still stay off work because you just don't go in to work when your union has called a strike. See earlier vocal responses in either this or another thread on the subject (can't remember) when I posted my opposition to strike action despite being a union member. Even though unions are pretty toothless these days, you still don't go to work when your union has called a strike. Unless teachers are somehow different, but I thought that they were a fairly politicised bunch and can't see many turning "scab" somehow.

Jxx

My first line refers to the fact that many teachers would be uncomfortable holding a picket line that their colleagues would then be forced to cross (as their unions are not striking).

In my experience, teachers are very, very reluctant to strike (which of course is why they have been targeted in this way). I have heard many more in the staffroom saying they cannot afford to lose the day's pay, than those saying they will strike 'because the union says so'. It is very much an individual choice.

On the whole, teachers are a much more genteel bunch of union members than others. The idea of anyone at my school calling a colleague a scab, for choosing not to strike, is laughable. Other schools may be different and there may be more pressure from colleagues to come out.

SingleSue

Years 7 and 8 are off on Thursday at my boy's school...youngest is year 8, middle is year 9 and eldest is 6th form, so youngest will be off but not the other two.

Janepig

milliebear00001 wrote: »

My first line refers to the fact that many teachers would be uncomfortable holding a picket line that their colleagues would then be forced to cross (as their unions are not striking).

In my experience, teachers are very, very reluctant to strike (which of course is why they have been targeted in this way). I have heard many more in the staffroom saying they cannot afford to lose the day's pay, than those saying they will strike 'because the union says so'. It is very much an individual choice.

On the whole, teachers are a much more genteel bunch of union members than others. The idea of anyone at my school calling a colleague a scab, for choosing not to strike, is laughable. Other schools may be different and there may be more pressure from colleagues to come out.

I hope that's true, but I'm not entirely sure that it would go down too well if some of the striking teachers lose a day's pay and go on strike to prove a point, while others break the strike, go into work, get their pay and therefore lessen any effect on the government the strike might have (not being much anyway imo). I'm the least militant person ever, but I'd be pretty peeved about it tbh.

Jxx