Teachers get it handy!

[Take Your Points]

Interesting to see how many teachers have not turned up for work today given that the ballot was taken by the union in 2011 for this strike action on the basis of opposition to pension changes.  The turnout for the ballot was quite low. Loss of a day's pay in the mouth of Christmas won't be popular when other teachers will remain in school and have little affect on fully closing schools.  Few if any primary schools will be affected and so child care for parent will be much less of an issue for older children.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-38150324

Is that correct? They went on strike today on notice served as a result of a ballot from 2011???

Any idea what particular legislation provides protection for workers involved in a strike in NI?

Edit: I found this....

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/industrial-action

...The trade union can only call on members to take industrial action where the majority of those who voted, voted 'yes' to taking action. If there is majority support, the action must begin within four weeks of the ballot or eight if it's agreed between union and employer....

https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/advice/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-industrial-action-faqs.html

[muppet]

Interesting to see how many teachers have not turned up for work today given that the ballot was taken by the union in 2011 for this strike action on the basis of opposition to pension changes.  The turnout for the ballot was quite low. Loss of a day's pay in the mouth of Christmas won't be popular when other teachers will remain in school and have little affect on fully closing schools.  Few if any primary schools will be affected and so child care for parent will be much less of an issue for older children.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-38150324

Is that correct? They went on strike today on notice served as a result of a ballot from 2011???

Any idea what particular legislation provides protection for workers involved in a strike in NI?

Edit: I found this....

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/industrial-action

...The trade union can only call on members to take industrial action where the majority of those who voted, voted 'yes' to taking action. If there is majority support, the action must begin within four weeks of the ballot or eight if it's agreed between union and employer....

https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/advice/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-industrial-action-faqs.html

...The NASUWT's plans for strike action are entirely lawful and members participating in the NASUWT industrial action will continue to be protected in law by the existing 'YES' vote from the ballot of all members conducted in 2011...

Seems to totally contradict the other info. Surely a Trade Union would be on top of this though? If they were wrong it means anyone who went on strike can be personally sued by costs incurred. (E.G. parents could sue a teacher for loss of earning or childcare costs for the say).

If I were in that union I would want to see legal advice on the matter, or at least a lawyer stand over it in writing.

[JimStynes]

Back on Friday! 
Only a training day though, shouldn't be too bad!

[Avondhu star]

Back on Friday! 
Only a training day though, shouldn't be too bad!

Apart from the slagging about the state of you and the fat substitute teacher at the Christmas party!

[JimStynes]

Back on Friday! 
Only a training day though, shouldn't be too bad!

Apart from the slagging about the state of you and the fat substitute teacher at the Christmas party!

Sub teachers didn't attend thankfully!

[illdecide]

Jim you work hard and are entitled to your break when you get them, don't listen to all those that criticise you. They don't realise the hard work you and all teachers do...the long hours, the working at night, the worrying for kids, the stress from the abuse, looking at wildebeest mothers in the mornings and her that ugly with a smokey breath you wouldn't ride her into battle...

You're doing a great job...Well done!!!

[JimStynes]

Cheers illdecide. I'll throw that money around to you later 

[Take Your Points]

They certainly getting it handy this morning as the INTO members are out on a half day strike.  Taking a lie in until turning up to school at 12-30 pm when they will have lunch. 

Most schools with INTO members are asking parents not to send children to school until 12-30 pm so not much will be happening in schools this afternoon after parents have arranged child care for the day.

Don't think Peter Weir will be too concerned about this action, not as if it will cause the DUP to lose any votes in the election.  He has already paid the meagre pay rise for this school year and will soon be away from his desk for quite a while.  Don't think the public are too interested in the lack of a pay rise for teachers in 2015-16 as an election issue given the rage against politicians at present.

[JimStynes]

Sure it's a good lie in if anything

[Take Your Points]

A fairly expensive one.

[FermGael]

TYP what would you advice teachers to do ?
Remain on action short of strike action and non cooperation with the inspectorate ?
Or just abandon the whole thing all together and roll over ?

[Take Your Points]

TYP what would you advice teachers to do ?
Remain on action short of strike action and non cooperation with the inspectorate ?
Or just abandon the whole thing all together and roll over ?

I think there is no hope of retrieving the pay increase for 2015-16 and it is pointless having any further strike action.  The funds allocated to the pay increase were allocated to give the automatic increments for 15-16 and 16-17 and the 1% increase for all in 2016-17. 

Just look at the last set of strikes and industrial action taken against the new pension scheme.  Nothing was achieved and teachers were moved to an average salary scheme which none of them will realise how much they have lost until they reach the new retirement ages that have been extended by up to 7 years.  Even this doesn't happen in the private sector where new schemes apply only to new entrants. Can you imagine a school with significant numbers of teachers aged between 60 to 67?  The unions got no concessions and teachers were the losers at a time when they are most vulnerable in older age and this has been hidden by the long term of pensions.  The amount paid by teachers to their pensions has been drastically increased in the last four years, my own payments doubled in the last three years of working giving a substantial decrease in pay.

95% of teachers will work for 7 more years to get a pension worse than those who have gone ahead of them having worked much fewer years, look at those leaving now at 55 on a scheme to deal with over production of teachers.

Last April all teachers were contracted in to the National Insurance scheme and took a pay cut to pay addition NI which is supposed to go towards their old age pension paid by the government.  This means that the teachers' pension will be further decreased on retirement and it will be supplemented by the old age pension paid at 67, 68 or 69 and determined by central government.  This puts a further element of a teacher's pension at the mercy of central government and the pension it pays to those over the national retirement age which will gradually move to 70.  What did the unions do about this?  How well did unions inform members of this change?

It is best to look to the future and try for the best deal over the next ten years.

The situation needs a more considered approach.  Parity with England & Wales has already been forfeited so this should be fully abandoned with a new model being considered.  Offer this to the employers on the basis of maintaining pay deals over the next two years which include automatic incremental progression and then movement to a new regime.

The present situation of paying increments over 9 years of a 45 year teaching career is stupid.  Paying an increment of £2300 per year for six years and about £1500 per year is a nonsense for teachers.  Should a new teacher be given a 10-12% pay rise each year for 6 years while older more experienced colleagues hope for inflationary rises?

There needs to be some form of financial incentive for teachers across a possible 45 year career rather than flat-lining after 9 years.  Teaching allowances are too bunched around 5 levels, they need to be reduced to bring in more teachers and create a more collegial approach which rewards those are hardworking and innovative, just like in GB.  Too many of these allowances are paid and held for up to 30 years which discourages others and they hand over responsibility to those being paid. 

The regime for teacher employment in Scotland should be examined to see if it can deliver a better long term deal for children and teachers.  In return, the GTC should be given the teeth that the similar bodies have in England, Wales and Scotland and be told to use them in a similar manner.  This will take disciplinary matters out of schools and this independent body can make teaching a profession that is properly regularised for children, parents and teachers.  In return, good salaries with progression over a career can be provided. 
Any new employment regime would have to reflect the changes that have occurred in life for everyone.  Older children are more than fit for longer than a 6 hour day, the holidays no longer need to follow the agricultural calendar to have children available for help and a full service provision for parents is required for all working parents. Teachers should have the option of flexible working in return for extending the opening hours of schools for children and parents.

Unfortunately, none of this will happen because teacher unions lack real imagination and are bogged down in the past, teachers tend to take a shorter term view despite the long careers ahead of them and the employers are forced to live from year to year by lack of ambition and budgeting by government.

Ah well.

[Take Your Points]

Quite a few getting it handy today as the members of the NASUWT who work at schools across Derry, Strabane, Mid Ulster, Fermanagh and Omagh take part in strike action today.  Unlike their colleagues in INTO the NASUWT teachers are willing to lose a whole day's pay for their cause.

NASUWT teachers in N.Ireland work mainly in secondary schools so they will be most affected.  Don't know how many schools will be closed by the action but certainly it will curtail teaching in a fair number of schools across the West.

Meanwhile the decision to not cooperate with inspections by ETI being carried out by UTU, INTO and ATL members has caused their colleagues in NASUWT to come under the microscope in schools being inspected. As a result, the NASUWT has decided to join non-cooperation with ETI.

There are two unions for headteachers, NAHT and ASCL, and the NAHT has asked that ETI halt inspections during the industrial action because the union action of non-cooperation by teachers is affecting inspections and the resultant reports on their schools.  The ETI have refused to halt their programme of inspections.

From BBC:

That has led to the union which represents most principals and vice-principals - the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) - to express concerns over "the integrity of the inspection process".
In written advice issued to their members, the NAHT said: "Incomplete inspections do not lead to accurate evaluations.
"Such inaccuracies ultimately serve to devalue the safety of children."
The NAHT is recommending that schools about to be inspected write to the ETI asking them "to defer the inspection until the industrial action has ceased".
"It will quite clearly be impossible for you to carry out an effective inspection at this time," the NAHT has advised the ETI.
The NAHT has written to the ETI chief inspector Noelle Buick to express their concern that inspections will be "based on incomplete evidence".
However, the ETI said that "inspections should go ahead in the best interests of the children and young people".

[Milltown Row2]

Wife's school has inspection coming up soon and it seems that they are not going to allow the inspectors into their classrooms to observe the lessons... The inspectors will continue to do other stuff though...

[No wides]

Wife's school has inspection coming up soon and it seems that they are not going to allow the inspectors into their classrooms to observe the lessons... The inspectors will continue to do other stuff though...

Learned from your mistakes, if you hadn't your work observed you mightn't have been made redundant so many times.