Teacher strike

GobbledyGook

bylromarha wrote: »

One union (don't know which) sent out an email to their members telling them that they did not have to let the headteacher know if they were striking until 24 hours before the planned strike.

So there are still 2 TAs at our school which have not yet let the head know they will be off - she decided to close the school last wednesday as 95% teachers were, in order to give parents as much notice as possible - so their delayed decision is now a moot point.

Actually you are only obliged to tell your HT on the morning of the strike if you plan to strike or not.

I think you have to make them aware before that that you are a member of the union who has voted to strike.

This is one of the things Michael Gove wants changed to make contingency planning easier.

I think the way the government is concentrating on the teacher's in the press is very underhand. Where is the stories about all the other people who are striking? They are doing their very best to undermine the teachers which coupled with the ever increasing workload being put on them is just going to see more and more good teachers leaving the state sector or leaving teaching altogether.

shirlgirl2004

GobbledyGook wrote: »

Actually you are only obliged to tell your HT on the morning of the strike if you plan to strike or not.

I think you have to make them aware before that that you are a member of the union who has voted to strike.

This is one of the things Michael Gove wants changed to make contingency planning easier.

I think the way the government is concentrating on the teacher's in the press is very underhand. Where is the stories about all the other people who are striking? They are doing their very best to undermine the teachers which coupled with the ever increasing workload being put on them is just going to see more and more good teachers leaving the state sector or leaving teaching altogether.

I think the teachers striking affects more people than any other striking profession. Many parents rely on the state childcare that school provides. Because my children don't go to school we won't be affected by any of the strikes.

Lotus-eater

Look, I'm not being funny, but you knew when you went into teaching what the hours and pay were going to be like. You know you're employed by the government and what they are like, you know what has happened in the UK's labour market, you know you are about the last behemoth of unions left.
You know it can't last.

I know there are some great teachers out there, who do way more than the job entails, but there are in every service/job. I wish we could afford to pay everyone what they deserve. But then single parents who do a good job, are going to be paid a fortune.

If you want to earn more, become a private school teacher, if you want to work less hours, work in another industry. If you don't want to go diving off oil rigs, don't become a deep sea oil rig diver. (who btw I know a couple and they complain way less than you lot about their job, which is about as dangerous as it comes and if we don't have them, we don't have electricity, or cars)

lostinrates

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Obviously not a public sector employee then!!! In public sector you don't get compassionate leave for a minor illness of a child and public sector employees are supposed to have good conditions of service, yeah right!

Who were you planning on 'watching' your children during the christmas holidays if you only have 1 day leave left?

A publi sector worker we were dealing with this summer had two periods of compassionate leave (4 weeks then 3 weeks) followed by oe time off for depression...I'm not saying he shouldn't hve had it, and I don't know what was rong but it sounds serious to have needed so much time off. However, the failure to deal with this effectively has had ramifications for local private industry and people.

walby1993

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Look, I'm not being funny, but you knew when you went into teaching what the hours and pay were going to be like. You know you're employed by the government and what they are like, you know what has happened in the UK's labour market, you know you are about the last behemoth of unions left.
You know it can't last.

I know there are some great teachers out there, who do way more than the job entails, but there are in every service/job. I wish we could afford to pay everyone what they deserve. But then single parents who do a good job, are going to be paid a fortune.

If you want to earn more, become a private school teacher, if you want to work less hours, work in another industry. If you don't want to go diving off oil rigs, don't become a deep sea oil rig diver. (who btw I know a couple and they complain way less than you lot about their job, which is about as dangerous as it comes and if we don't have them, we don't have electricity, or cars)

1. Funnily enough, they didn't advertise the extreme of the amount of hours teachers do. I knew it would be more than 9-5 but was not expecting 8am-10pm 5 days per week plus weekends.

2. I don't go around complaining - I just defend myself when people like you attack teachers/me.

lostinrates

walby1993 wrote: »

Lotus, I do not believe any teacher has ever said they are a saint. However, the point of the strike is that the Government want to take away one of the benefits of being a teacher which makes up for the very mediocre pay. The fact is teachers are chronically underpaid for the work they do.

A friend of mine who has one year less education than I (and hence a years less of student loan debt) and who works no harder than I do, has more disposable income per month than I earn!

Before I became a teacher I worked in the private sector. I earned a very small amount less than I do now but did about half the hours.

I accept the Government proposal of a pension in line with that of the private sector so long as they are prepared to pay me like a private sector worker as well.

For some that went into other areas of work goal posts have also been changed, tax rates, benefits, pay and indeed pensions. My dad left public sector almost two decades ago having poured extra into his pension for years.....its worth nothing like what he was promised. Sadly....this happens with investents and markets. Stuff is pretty unpredicatble.

we are, or should be, all in it together I agree....sadly that might mean the financial set backs too....if we had a smaller publi sector it might be the private one could keep the promises made through downturns.

edit: hours seem very long for mny teachers posting here. My teaching friends don't find this so all year round. In private sector my DH works incredibly long hours with no overtime , as is standard in his industry and as he knew would be the case. His choice.

Lotus-eater

walby1993 wrote: »

1. Funnily enough, they didn't advertise the extreme of the amount of hours teachers do. I knew it would be more than 9-5 but was not expecting 8am-10pm 5 days per week plus weekends.

2. I don't go around complaining - I just defend myself when people like you attack teachers/me.

I don't believe I have attacked teachers. I'm just annoyed you are striking. It's the teachers who have brought into it how great you are and how undervalued you are. Which I'm sorry, you don't have a monopoly on.

tankgirl1

GobbledyGook wrote: »

Actually you are only obliged to tell your HT on the morning of the strike if you plan to strike or not.

Just on this point

DS's HT is off sick at the moment. We had a letter home from the governors last weeks saying the school *may* close, but have heard nothing since!

Thankfully, in this respect, I am a SAHM at the moment so it's not a huge issue, but if I was still working I would be having kittens!

Taking my last job as an example I wouldn't be able to afford a days unpaid leave, or a days childcare (if I could find it!) at such short notice.

And yes a week is short notice when you are on a tight budget, or when your rota at work is worked out months in advance, and your boss may have to call in a locum to cover you! Less than 48hrs notice is a joke!

walby1993

Not all teachers are striking, me included. However, I am not striking because:
1) I can't afford to lose a day's pay
2) I think the [STRIKE]current [/STRIKE] Government have thick skin and will plough on with any policy they fancy making regardless of the opinion of any parts of the general public, therefore making a strike pointless in my personal opinion.

With regards to their planned changes for pensions, I am not completely opposed to any change but they are making such radical changes so quickly! I have researched it and I will be approx. £250,000 :eek: worse off than with the current pension. The pension changes will affect women particularly badly. I also think it is unfair that it is being completely changed for any teacher who retires after a certain date (can't remember what that is) so for those teachers just a few years off retirement who may have planned their finances around this now have to look at making major changes. Even if it was a graduated introduction it wouldn't be so bad.

patchwork_cat

lostinrates wrote: »

A publi sector worker we were dealing with this summer had two periods of compassionate leave (4 weeks then 3 weeks) followed by oe time off for depression...I'm not saying he shouldn't hve had it, and I don't know what was rong but it sounds serious to have needed so much time off. However, the failure to deal with this effectively has had ramifications for local private industry and people.

I have NEVER met anyone or heard of anyone who has had that much compassionate leave. IMHO that level would only be sanctioned following death of a spouse or child. Compassionate leave for minor illness is not allowed, which is what we were discussing, not that you can't get compassionate leave for major life events.

The OP is very fortunate to be allowed compassionate leave for a childs minor illness. Those who work have to use valuable leave to cover childrens illnesses as I know all to well.