Do teachers have right to strike?

By Shahid Naqvi on Apr 22, 08 05:41 PM in Education

The biggest teacher strike in recent decades will soon be upon us. Some schools - including my sons - will be shut for two days this week.
The disruption to parents, many of whom will have to sort out alternative childcare arrangements - will be major.
The mood among many parents I have spoken to is one of frustration and even resentment. It is, after all, the teachers and Ministers who constantly tell us how damaging it is to miss even one day from school. They tell us off for taking holidays during term time highlighting the impact on our children's education.

What about the impact of what will now be a third day of schooling lost to my son and many others as a result of industrial action?
One can't help wonder how credible it is for teachers and Ministers to tell us how we must behave, make sure our children turn up to school, ensure they are well-behaved, when they can't even resolve their own differences at the expense of our children.
Having said that, many will find some sympathy with teachers. It's a tough job - and they should be properly paid to ensure talented and able people choose the profession.
A Government that can afford to spend £50 billion propping up the banks surely can afford to make sure teachers are happy.
I've heard anecdotal tales of new teachers sleeping on friends' floors or taking a night job to make ends meet, which seems unbelievable. I know of one highly intelligent and able person who wanted to be a teacher for all the right reasons but left after the second term because he was completely unprepared - and unsupported - for the demands of the classroom, the intense workload and the pressure of juggling all this with his domestic life. It was a loss to the teaching profession - as is the 50 per cent of teachers who are said to leave after the first three years.
Part of the reason teachers are so unhappy is not just about money - it's the pressure of inspections, targets and having to comply with numerous Government initiatives introduced by politicians eager to make their mark.
Or is this just an excuse constantly put foward by unions battling for more pay - and holding our children to ransom in the proccess?
It would be interesting to separate the smoke from the mirrors.

Comments (3)

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3 Comments

Maurice Cogswell said:

Teachers are reasonably remunerated after about five years in the job. Their grievances should focus entirely on excessive paperwork and bad behaviour. It's hard to see how higher pay alleviates or compensates for either issue nor how a day of disruption for children and their families helps teachers' cause.

April 23, 2008 11:05 AM

Sid Langley said:

Kids learn as much out of the classroom as in it. Three days off isn't going to hurt them - although it may impact on parents who miss the take-for-granted childcare offered by schools. Teaching is one of the most important jobs in the world. Compare the wages to what many corporate types earn and the different levels of hassle and commitment involved. Who is more valuable to society as a whole? You don't need a GCSE to work it out ...

April 23, 2008 1:04 PM

VillaGirl said:

I am a teacher but not striking as I am in the NASUWT not the NUT. The point I wanted to make is that teaching is not a nice place to be anymore. There is almost always a sizeable minority in any class that prevents the majority from making progress. We have little power to prevent this inappropriate behaviour. This leads to teachers either becoming frustrated, demoralised or often both. Many (good) teachers leave the profession because of this while others stay and become bitter and cynical. Parents expect us not only to teach academic and practical subjects but to do their job of teaching their children manners, etiquette, self-discipline. As if this wasn't enough we then have crazy amounts of paperwork and planning. Teachers deserve their salary and they NEED their weekends and holidays (most teachers spent half of them working - planning, marking, writing reports etc) Unless you have worked in a school as a teacher, teaching assistant, lunchtime supervisor you really haven't got a clue what a stressful environment it is. It doesn't matter where you are - I have worked in Sutton Coldfield and I currently work in Walsall - 2 ends of the spectrum and the issues are just as bad at either end.

April 24, 2008 3:09 PM