Wiltshire teachers back strike strategy

11:00am Friday 22nd March 2013 in Wiltshire

Teaching unions in Wiltshire say their members back plans for a series of strikes in their row with the Government over changes to pay, pensions and workload.

On Monday, the two largest teaching unions – National Union of Teachers (NUT) and NASUWT – announced a series of localised strikes, starting this summer in the North West. No date has yet been set for strikes in Wiltshire.

The unions are protesting against a pension age of 68 or higher and performance-related pay for teachers.

Mike Harrison, secretary of Wiltshire NUT, said raised pension contributions were already affecting teachers.

He said: “The pay proposals drastically alter years of a national pay structure. There’s no evidence to show performance-related pay works.

“Teaching is a collaborative and cooperative profession and it’s very difficult to individualise. There is also increasing concern about workload. Since September, the workload pressure and intense scrutiny teachers are under has increased.

“Our members would support strike action in support of pay and pensions. It’s part of our job to try and persuade parents to support us and I think a lot of them do.

“They understand how hard teachers work on behalf of their children.”

Ian Phillips, the county secretary of NASUWT, said: “The last thing members want to do is strike, but when they are not being listened to by Government there is little option but to take action.

“Do people want an effective teaching force and a profession for people to go into, or do they want a demoralised teaching profession?”

A Department for Educ-ation spokesman said: “We think giving schools the freedom to reward good performance is much fairer than current arrangements, which see the vast majority of teachers automatically getting a pay rise each year.”

Comments (14)

1:30pm Fri 22 Mar 13

Dummer_Frauenfahrer says...

A totally predictable response from this bunch of self-interested whiners who truly believe that austerity in the UK does not apply to them. Just look at these quotes: "there's no evidence to show performance related pay works" and "the last thing members want to do is strike". Are these people living in some sort of parallel universe? Or how about "there is increasing concern about workload" - so just remind us all, how many days leave do teachers get in a year? Or "it's really something that is necessary for the future of education in this country". No, it's something that is necessary to protect the cushy life-styles of these selfish hypocrites. And "the unions are protesting against a pension age of 68 or higher" - well just look at how much longer people are living nowadays and what is happening to pensions elsewhere. Or perhaps these deluded teachers really believe that they are destined to die young after their "hard" life? And just study the statistics - for example, how many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade? The government needs to remove the ring-fencing that is currently protecting the education budget and sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it, and to set an example to the others. We do not need to look far to see just what teachers or head-teachers get away with and how much they cost the hard-working taxpayer as the reports in the WT over recent months about a certain school in Frome Road, Trowbridge demonstrably prove.
A totally predictable response from this bunch of self-interested whiners who truly believe that austerity in the UK does not apply to them. Just look at these quotes: "there's no evidence to show performance related pay works" and "the last thing members want to do is strike". Are these people living in some sort of parallel universe? Or how about "there is increasing concern about workload" - so just remind us all, how many days leave do teachers get in a year? Or "it's really something that is necessary for the future of education in this country". No, it's something that is necessary to protect the cushy life-styles of these selfish hypocrites. And "the unions are protesting against a pension age of 68 or higher" - well just look at how much longer people are living nowadays and what is happening to pensions elsewhere. Or perhaps these deluded teachers really believe that they are destined to die young after their "hard" life? And just study the statistics - for example, how many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade? The government needs to remove the ring-fencing that is currently protecting the education budget and sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it, and to set an example to the others. We do not need to look far to see just what teachers or head-teachers get away with and how much they cost the hard-working taxpayer as the reports in the WT over recent months about a certain school in Frome Road, Trowbridge demonstrably prove. Dummer_Frauenfahrer

7:04pm Fri 22 Mar 13

Mrs Donnyfly says...

Did you have a bad experience as a child with a teacher?
Did you have a bad experience as a child with a teacher? Mrs Donnyfly

7:48pm Sun 24 Mar 13

moonraker77 says...

Dummer_Frauenfahrer wrote:
A totally predictable response from this bunch of self-interested whiners who truly believe that austerity in the UK does not apply to them. Just look at these quotes: "there's no evidence to show performance related pay works" and "the last thing members want to do is strike". Are these people living in some sort of parallel universe? Or how about "there is increasing concern about workload" - so just remind us all, how many days leave do teachers get in a year? Or "it's really something that is necessary for the future of education in this country". No, it's something that is necessary to protect the cushy life-styles of these selfish hypocrites. And "the unions are protesting against a pension age of 68 or higher" - well just look at how much longer people are living nowadays and what is happening to pensions elsewhere. Or perhaps these deluded teachers really believe that they are destined to die young after their "hard" life? And just study the statistics - for example, how many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade? The government needs to remove the ring-fencing that is currently protecting the education budget and sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it, and to set an example to the others. We do not need to look far to see just what teachers or head-teachers get away with and how much they cost the hard-working taxpayer as the reports in the WT over recent months about a certain school in Frome Road, Trowbridge demonstrably prove.
Have you ever taught 30 children in a classroom ? What do you want to be when you grow up !
[quote][p][bold]Dummer_Frauenfahrer[/bold] wrote: A totally predictable response from this bunch of self-interested whiners who truly believe that austerity in the UK does not apply to them. Just look at these quotes: "there's no evidence to show performance related pay works" and "the last thing members want to do is strike". Are these people living in some sort of parallel universe? Or how about "there is increasing concern about workload" - so just remind us all, how many days leave do teachers get in a year? Or "it's really something that is necessary for the future of education in this country". No, it's something that is necessary to protect the cushy life-styles of these selfish hypocrites. And "the unions are protesting against a pension age of 68 or higher" - well just look at how much longer people are living nowadays and what is happening to pensions elsewhere. Or perhaps these deluded teachers really believe that they are destined to die young after their "hard" life? And just study the statistics - for example, how many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade? The government needs to remove the ring-fencing that is currently protecting the education budget and sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it, and to set an example to the others. We do not need to look far to see just what teachers or head-teachers get away with and how much they cost the hard-working taxpayer as the reports in the WT over recent months about a certain school in Frome Road, Trowbridge demonstrably prove.[/p][/quote]Have you ever taught 30 children in a classroom ? What do you want to be when you grow up ! moonraker77

6:27pm Tue 26 Mar 13

notscot says...

I'd rather chew my arm off than teach teenagers.
I'd rather chew my arm off than teach teenagers. notscot

10:43am Wed 27 Mar 13

notscot says...

""And just study the statistics - for example, how many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade? The government needs to remove the ring-fencing that is currently protecting the education budget and sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it,""
So come on - who are these incompetent teachers - and just HOW did you decide they were incompetent? (Don't people have to be PROVEN to be incompetent, by those FIT to judge them?)
Is this a new version of teacher-bashing? Just point the finger & sack a few thousand? Then increase the average class size to about 55. THEN whine about the lack of decent education and the need for a few more teachers....
Education - some of us didn't get past the basics.
""And just study the statistics - for example, how many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade? The government needs to remove the ring-fencing that is currently protecting the education budget and sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it,"" So come on - who are these incompetent teachers - and just HOW did you decide they were incompetent? (Don't people have to be PROVEN to be incompetent, by those FIT to judge them?) Is this a new version of teacher-bashing? Just point the finger & sack a few thousand? Then increase the average class size to about 55. THEN whine about the lack of decent education and the need for a few more teachers.... Education - some of us didn't get past the basics. notscot

10:47am Wed 27 Mar 13

Dummer_Frauenfahrer says...

"Did you have a bad experience as a child with a teacher?" Personally no, but many did as all those police investigations into historical cases of sexual abuse by teachers clearly prove.
"What do you want to be when you grow up !" I retired (early) several years
ago. My chosen career is my business.
"I'd rather chew my arm off than teach teenagers". Waste of a good arm IMHO but the bottom line is this: nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary and T&Cs now on offer. We do not need the likes of NUT and NASUWT: fully unreconstituted Marxists like Blower and Keates are an anachronism in modern-day UK.
"Did you have a bad experience as a child with a teacher?" Personally no, but many did as all those police investigations into historical cases of sexual abuse by teachers clearly prove. "What do you want to be when you grow up !" I retired (early) several years ago. My chosen career is my business. "I'd rather chew my arm off than teach teenagers". Waste of a good arm IMHO but the bottom line is this: nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary and T&Cs now on offer. We do not need the likes of NUT and NASUWT: fully unreconstituted Marxists like Blower and Keates are an anachronism in modern-day UK. Dummer_Frauenfahrer

4:38pm Wed 27 Mar 13

notscot says...

Dummer_Frauenfahrer wrote:
"Did you have a bad experience as a child with a teacher?" Personally no, but many did as all those police investigations into historical cases of sexual abuse by teachers clearly prove.
"What do you want to be when you grow up !" I retired (early) several years
ago. My chosen career is my business.
"I'd rather chew my arm off than teach teenagers". Waste of a good arm IMHO but the bottom line is this: nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary and T&Cs now on offer. We do not need the likes of NUT and NASUWT: fully unreconstituted Marxists like Blower and Keates are an anachronism in modern-day UK.
Who said a few thousand of our teachers needed to be sacked? You did.
And why? Because YOU decided that they were incompetent.
Good job they DO have unions with throwbacks like you about.
And I'd say your chosen "business" isn't too mentally taxing.
"Fully unreconstituted" - what?!
[quote][p][bold]Dummer_Frauenfahrer[/bold] wrote: "Did you have a bad experience as a child with a teacher?" Personally no, but many did as all those police investigations into historical cases of sexual abuse by teachers clearly prove. "What do you want to be when you grow up !" I retired (early) several years ago. My chosen career is my business. "I'd rather chew my arm off than teach teenagers". Waste of a good arm IMHO but the bottom line is this: nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary and T&Cs now on offer. We do not need the likes of NUT and NASUWT: fully unreconstituted Marxists like Blower and Keates are an anachronism in modern-day UK.[/p][/quote]Who said a few thousand of our teachers needed to be sacked? You did. And why? Because YOU decided that they were incompetent. Good job they DO have unions with throwbacks like you about. And I'd say your chosen "business" isn't too mentally taxing. "Fully unreconstituted" - what?! notscot

7:35pm Wed 27 Mar 13

Mrs Donnyfly says...

Dumber said; "...nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary..."

Have any teachers actually said they don't like the job?

You mentioned studying statistics, have you studied the statistics into how many of the plenty of Eastern Europeans you refer to are trained teachers?

Are you a berk?
Dumber said; "...nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary..." Have any teachers actually said they don't like the job? You mentioned studying statistics, have you studied the statistics into how many of the plenty of Eastern Europeans you refer to are trained teachers? Are you a berk? Mrs Donnyfly

11:39pm Wed 27 Mar 13

jigsaw 5 says...

good luck with the strike...it'll be a pointless exercise but good luck. If the private sector is struggling, then so will the public sector. I wish i could have 14 weeks paid holiday a year like you all but instead i've got 2.5% pay increase so i'm happy.
good luck with the strike...it'll be a pointless exercise but good luck. If the private sector is struggling, then so will the public sector. I wish i could have 14 weeks paid holiday a year like you all but instead i've got 2.5% pay increase so i'm happy. jigsaw 5

5:06am Thu 28 Mar 13

notscot says...

jigsaw 5 wrote:
good luck with the strike...it'll be a pointless exercise but good luck. If the private sector is struggling, then so will the public sector. I wish i could have 14 weeks paid holiday a year like you all but instead i've got 2.5% pay increase so i'm happy.
I know we all like to hit teachers over the head with their holiday allowance (let's face it - THEY didn't decide that the kids needed 14 weeks!) but perhaps - with the targets they have to meet - together with the evidence of teaching plans and the work they have to check etc., I'd be interested to find out how long the average day is and how much of that 14 weeks is eaten into.
I think you're right about the strike - I don't think there'll be much of an offer on the table. They'll be lucky to match your pay rise.
[quote][p][bold]jigsaw 5[/bold] wrote: good luck with the strike...it'll be a pointless exercise but good luck. If the private sector is struggling, then so will the public sector. I wish i could have 14 weeks paid holiday a year like you all but instead i've got 2.5% pay increase so i'm happy.[/p][/quote]I know we all like to hit teachers over the head with their holiday allowance (let's face it - THEY didn't decide that the kids needed 14 weeks!) but perhaps - with the targets they have to meet - together with the evidence of teaching plans and the work they have to check etc., I'd be interested to find out how long the average day is and how much of that 14 weeks is eaten into. I think you're right about the strike - I don't think there'll be much of an offer on the table. They'll be lucky to match your pay rise. notscot

10:43am Thu 28 Mar 13

Dummer_Frauenfahrer says...

Mrs Donnyfly wrote:
Dumber said; "...nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary..."

Have any teachers actually said they don't like the job?

You mentioned studying statistics, have you studied the statistics into how many of the plenty of Eastern Europeans you refer to are trained teachers?

Are you a berk?
Personal abuse is always the sure-fire sign of a person who has lost the argument. I'm off to Tenerife now to enjoy the sunshine over Easter.
[quote][p][bold]Mrs Donnyfly[/bold] wrote: Dumber said; "...nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary..." Have any teachers actually said they don't like the job? You mentioned studying statistics, have you studied the statistics into how many of the plenty of Eastern Europeans you refer to are trained teachers? Are you a berk?[/p][/quote]Personal abuse is always the sure-fire sign of a person who has lost the argument. I'm off to Tenerife now to enjoy the sunshine over Easter. Dummer_Frauenfahrer

11:41am Thu 28 Mar 13

Mrs Donnyfly says...

Dummer_Frauenfahrer wrote:
Mrs Donnyfly wrote:
Dumber said; "...nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary..."

Have any teachers actually said they don't like the job?

You mentioned studying statistics, have you studied the statistics into how many of the plenty of Eastern Europeans you refer to are trained teachers?

Are you a berk?
Personal abuse is always the sure-fire sign of a person who has lost the argument. I'm off to Tenerife now to enjoy the sunshine over Easter.
What argument? What personal abuse?
[quote][p][bold]Dummer_Frauenfahrer[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Mrs Donnyfly[/bold] wrote: Dumber said; "...nobody is forced to be a teacher; if they don't like the job then do what anyone else would do and get out. There are plenty of Eastern Europeans currently in the UK (and many more coming in the future) who are more than willing to do the job for the salary..." Have any teachers actually said they don't like the job? You mentioned studying statistics, have you studied the statistics into how many of the plenty of Eastern Europeans you refer to are trained teachers? Are you a berk?[/p][/quote]Personal abuse is always the sure-fire sign of a person who has lost the argument. I'm off to Tenerife now to enjoy the sunshine over Easter.[/p][/quote]What argument? What personal abuse? Mrs Donnyfly

11:47am Thu 28 Mar 13

notscot says...

Dummer, your post wasn't abusive?
You wrote about: self-interested whiners" "these selfish hypocrites" "How many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade?" "sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it" "fully unreconstituted Marxists like Blower and Keates are an anachronism"
Followed by:
"Personal abuse is always the sure-fire sign of a person who has lost the argument."
Your entire post was abusive and condescending toward the entire teaching profession - then you get upset at the abuse YOU receive in return.
You're a berk.
Dummer, your post wasn't abusive? You wrote about: self-interested whiners" "these selfish hypocrites" "How many teachers have been sacked for incompetence in (say) the last decade?" "sack a few thousand teachers because they are not up to the job and deserve it" "fully unreconstituted Marxists like Blower and Keates are an anachronism" Followed by: "Personal abuse is always the sure-fire sign of a person who has lost the argument." Your entire post was abusive and condescending toward the entire teaching profession - then you get upset at the abuse YOU receive in return. You're a berk. notscot

4:43pm Thu 28 Mar 13

Mrs Donnyfly says...

Your sensibilities must be extremely fragile if you feel personally abused by being asked if you are a berk.
Your sensibilities must be extremely fragile if you feel personally abused by being asked if you are a berk. Mrs Donnyfly

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