Teachers fined for doing their job
MEMBERS of the teaching unions NUT and Nasuwt at Stratford Academy in
Newham took strike action last Thursday over punitive fines that had been
unfairly imposed on them by the school’s governing body.
Following a lawful national
ballot, teachers at Stratford Academy, like the overwhelming majority of
teachers right across the country, are making a stand against undertaking tasks
that distract them from their core role of teaching, and which do not require
their skills as qualified teachers.
The teachers at Stratford Academy
have continued to prepare for and teach their lessons, mark and assess pupils’
work and carry out all those tasks which, in their professional judgement,
assist them in focusing on teaching and learning.
All clubs and activities which
teachers run voluntarily in their own time are continuing.
Yet despite this, punitive
financial deductions have been made from teachers’ wages by the school
governors.
Not only has 15 per cent of their
salary been cut, but teachers have been subject to actions by the governors and
school management which they have found grossly unprofessional, threatening and
intimidating.
Not one single pupil has had
their education disrupted or compromised by anything the teachers have done
prior to being forced to take strike action.
The teachers have no wish to
disrupt the education of pupils, but they have been forced into this position
by the unreasonable, punitive behaviour of their employer.
As a result of this, the NUT and
Nasuwt, representing the overwhelming majority of the staff, have been forced
to issue notices of strike action in protest at these unfair and unjust actions
and to seek the withdrawal of these punitive financial deductions.
Christine Blower, NUT general
secretary, said: “The teachers at Stratford Academy are dedicated and committed
to the young people they teach.
“Instead of penalising and
punishing them, the governors should focus on pressing the Secretary of State
to resolve the national trade dispute and end his relentless attacks on the
teaching profession.”
Chris Keates, Nasuwt general
secretary, said: “The teachers at Stratford Academy have been seeking to defend
their pay and conditions, as part of a national trade dispute with the
Secretary of State in which the overwhelming majority of teachers across the
country are engaged, without any disruption being caused to pupils and parents.
“The teachers deeply regret the
disruption pupils and parents now face but it is entirely due to the hostile
and vindictive actions of the governors and school management.”
Pensioners rally in Westminster
HUNDREDS of pensioners from all over Britain descended on Westminster on
Wednesday to lobby their MPS to defend universal pensioner benefits like the
bus pass and the winter fuel allowance.
The lobby was organised by the
National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) to address the suggestions that have been
made by the Liberal Democrat deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Tory backbencher
Nick Boles and Labour’s Liam Byrne that these benefits should in future be
means-tested.
The NPC claims that the debate so
far has been dominated by half-truths and misinformation, aimed at grabbing
headlines.
The protest aimed to inform MPs
of the facts surrounding the issue:
• There are approximately 11 million older people over state pension age
living in the UK, of which around 4.5 million pay tax at the standard rate and
fewer than 250,000 pay at the higher rate. The remaining 6.4 million have an
income below £10,500 and do not pay any income tax at all. The universal
benefits are therefore essential for the majority of pensioners, even those
with incomes above the level of the Pension Credit of £7500.
• Taking the bus pass away from the likes of Sir Alan Sugar; given that
he doesn’t use one anyway, will do nothing to save money. Instead this
smokescreen is being used to introduce widespread means-testing and represents
part of a wider attack on the welfare state and would ultimately hurt some of
our most vulnerable older people.
• The revenue collected by the state from older people, either directly
through a range of taxes or through costs that older people bear that would
otherwise be paid by the state, adds up to a staggering £175.8 billion every
year, compared to total expenditure on older people through pensions, welfare
payments and health care of £136.2 billion. The overall, annual net
contribution by older people to the economy is therefore almost £40 billion –
and is estimated to rise to almost £75 billion by 2030. Most importantly, this
is more than enough to pay for the £8 billion worth of age-related benefits
that are now being questioned.
• It should be acknowledged that many of these universal benefits have
been introduced over time because successive governments were reluctant to
improve the state pension system. Having one of the least adequate pensions in
Europe has almost forced governments to provide additional support to its older
population, or witness the inevitable rise in pensioner hardship.
• Even if benefits were taken away from the majority of pensioners, the
amount of money saved would be questionable given that the introduction of a
means-tested system would involve setting up a costly bureaucracy to administer
the payments (especially if people’s assets were to be assessed) and the chance
that losing a bus pass or a winter fuel allowance could inevitably lead to some
older people needing extra support from social services and the NHS.
Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary
said: “This idea that the country’s economy is struggling because an army of
millionaire pensioners are joy riding with their free bus passes is absolute
nonsense. The economic crisis is being used as an excuse to undermine the
welfare state and roll back some of our hard earned gains – many of which are
necessary because the UK has one of the worse state pensions in Europe.
