I'm not a fan of the radical Trades Unions, or of striking. I've seen what they achieve, and in the long term the strikers never win. The only one's to gain are the Union Leaders.
When I was up at school it was unthinkable that my Teachers would have gone on strike.
Later when I myself was a Teacher, I would never, ever, have considered going on strike.
These days things are very different. In the UK's state schools most Teachers are members of some neo-Marxist Union (NUT), and when they order 'everybody out'; they blindly do what they're told, or risk being called 'scabs'. Sadly they are also teaching the children that all of this is OK.
Of course there are plenty of schools in the UK where the Teachers will NOT be striking today, and where the children's education and welfare is of paramount importance.
It is not surprising that Starmer & Co want to abolish such schools, as they keep to high standards; which include not walking out on their pupils.
Along with the Teachers, almost all other left-wing unions will be calling their members out on strike today. If this is their way of trying to get the country's economy back on track; I'm afraid it won't.
It's not only the fault of Covid and Putin's war that's causing our economic problems, it's all these wretched strikes as well.
p.s. I should add that according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) UK Teachers are better paid and work less hours than most European countries.
In the UK an average Teachers salary is £44,557. In France it is £32,506. In Italy it is £32,116. UK Teachers are legally required to work 1,265 hours over a 195 days period, which is a lot less than most other developed countries.
It's up to them. It's just another public sector privilege day.
ReplyDeleteI think they see it as a 'fun day away from work'. I even read somewhere that the Teachers will still be paid. Hardly worth going back!!
DeleteOh dear cro that remark wasnt good neither was
DeleteThey can afford to strike and have fun, they earn enough.
DeleteThere's a Primary School very near us. The teachers park their cars in a large gated car park. Not many Minis or Polos about, they have the best.
DeleteAs I have said before on this illustrious blog, no workers ever want to strike. Today's industrial action is the direct fault of an intransigent and incompetent government. The money that Truss and Kwarteng effectively threw away on a hare-brained economic plan would have easily covered most of today's demands.
ReplyDeleteAs a lifelong member of the NUT like my father before me, on the few occasions that I went on strike as requested by my union I went into the school to work on marking, preparation etc. - being docked pay while I worked.
In Britain 95% of our children are educated within the state sector.
I can't wait to see a new Labour government giving everyone 20% wage rises, handing extra Billions to the NHS, and allowing even more illegal immigrants into the country. It'll be fun to watch. Both the IMF and Labour are telling us that Europeans are far better off than here, yet the OECD tells the truth, and it is ignored. Time to get real.
DeleteMy daughter's a secondary school teacher, she's not on strike today as the union ballot didn't gain enough votes. She's well paid but sadly is teaching 60 to a class. The school can't fill vacancies, there are very few TAs left. It's dire!
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased to hear she hasn't followed the sheep to the picket lines. It only ever does harm to the strikers. Teaching is a good profession, and reasonably well paid, I'm surprised there are so many vacancies. 60 to a class is far too many.
DeleteMy local school system has never gone on strike. A teacher at Concord-Carlisle Regional High School earns $100-120K plus. Currently, Woburn, MA is on strike. A court order has demanded teachers go back to work while negotiations continue. The Union says, "No." It is all about class size and pay. US teachers are on Summer vacation from May to Sept. along with 2-week Spring and Christmas breaks as well as various other holidays. Weekly, 1/2 day is used for teachers to plan. Many students are behind academically and a strike just makes things worse.
ReplyDeleteIt's horrible to use children as 'weapons' for political gain. When I was teaching we put the children first. These days the greed of the teachers seems to come first.
DeleteTeachers work until the first week of June. They start again at the end of August. It is about class size, having their effectiveness judged by standardized testing which takes up gobs of time. Teachers here are buying their own classroom supplies. Gone are the days when you went to school on the first day and received your supplies. Teachers are also dealing with an awful lot of political bullshit. There is burnout and teachers are leaving because they can find better paid work in an office.
DeleteMany schools in Norfolk are open, business as usual. NEU members (that is what replaced the NUT a few years ago) are striking for an above-inflation pay rise funded by central government. Starting salaries for teachers will go up by 8.9% and the pay rise offered on the table for teachers already in situ is 5%. These offers have been turned down by the NEU. With their gold-plated pensions and good working conditions, holidays and employment terms, they will not be doing themselves any favours with the British public.
ReplyDeleteNo schools open here today, and Mums everywhere walking around town with several children in tow. I do hope they haven't all missed-out on their earnings just to fund others who earn a lot more than they do.
DeleteGo back in history and teachers accepted a pay cut as part of the war effort..not something well publicised..of course they still had to keep up "middle class appearances" on wages considered "working class".
ReplyDeleteTeaching now has been gradually changing from actually teaching, to ticking politically proscribed boxes, paperwork etcetera, not imparting the knowledge and love of any subject.
I know what the job has done to relatives including my father and friends...and why many leave an employment that was initially a vocation
I have met people who've left the profession as quivering wrecks; mostly from inner city schools. Personally I quit because I moved abroad, but I loved the work.
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