Teacher strikes could cause more havoc at Harrow schools

Teacher strikes could cause more havoc at Harrow schools

A TEACHING union rep has admitted that proposed strikes will cause further chaos at Harrow schools – but insists they are necessary.

The NUT (National Union of Teachers) and NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers) voted in favour of further industrial action earlier this month, in protest against governmental changes to pay and pension.

Unions believe the changes, which include the retirement age rising from 65 to 68, will lead to teachers working longer and for less, and pension contributions could rise by up to 50 per cent.

Strike action is expected to continue this term, with further action being planned for the autumn term.

More than 30 schools across the borough closed during public sector strikes at the end of November last year, while the most recent strike in March forced a fifth of London state schools to close, and affected a total of 60 per cent of the capital's state schools in total.

Greg Parker, NUT union rep at Park High School in Thistlecroft Gardens, was quick to condemn the impact the coalition government has made since coming to power in 2010: "I’ve been a teacher for 12 years and when Labour were in power, they invested a lot of money into building schools for the future. Nothing was under threat and as a result the culture around schools was positive. People felt good about being teachers – that’s not the same now.”

Indeed, a YouGov poll commissioned by the NUT showed that 42 per cent of teachers suffered from low morale, while 59 per cent claimed their morale had decreased in the last two years.

Mr Parker is also adamant that the government’s planned changes to education sector pensions and pay must be prevented, despite the mounting debt crisis the UK is currently facing.

"Cuts to teachers’ pay and pensions are short-sighted even given the financial crisis in the UK. Financial mismanagement by the government and banking sector is responsible and they should pay. The teaching profession is being damaged and this is damaging the whole country in the process. Happy teachers are essential when it comes to providing quality education," he said.

NUT calculations claim that by April 2014, some London-based teachers will see a reduction of up to £123 in their monthly pay.

Both Mr Parker and Labour MP for Harrow West, Gareth Thomas, expect the reduction in pay to have a knock-on effect with regard to potential teachers wanting to enter the profession.

"I worry that the changes could lead to people who have perhaps thought about being a teacher in the past being detracted from joining the profession," Mr Thomas said.

Meanwhile, Mr Parker claimed: "I know from the Institute of Education that they are having difficulty recruiting for teacher training courses. Some people are leaving the profession, and some people who were perhaps keen to become a teacher in the past no longer feel the same."

For some though, sympathy for the teaching profession can only stretch so far. Simon Murray, a parent of two children currently in full-time education at schools in Harrow, believes the teaching profession is no worse off than many others.

"Teachers aren't the only ones having problems with pensions at the moment. There are plenty of people in the private sector who are struggling too. I really think that teachers are asking for too much at a time where everyone needs to pull together."

Speaking after the last wave of strikes in March, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "Strikes benefit no one. This deal is as good as it gets and takes the right balance – guaranteeing teachers one of the best pensions available but keeping a lid on rising costs for the taxpayer. This strike, ordered by the NUT's leaders, will not get its members any further forward."

And Mr Murray seems to agree that with the government refusing to back down over the reforms, taking strike action will have little or no point at all.

"The government's mind on the issue seems to be made up to me, so I don't understand why teachers are considering further strikes. All it's going to do is cut down valuable learning time for children and inconvenience parents.

"Finances are tight for families everywhere at the moment. Parents can't simply afford to take more time off work or pay for a childminder," he added.

Mr Parker, however, claims that, while striking is a last resort, "all other measures have been exhausted", leaving teachers with no option but to stage further mass walkouts.

"I understand that strikes have a huge impact on children as well as parents.

"The NUT are taking a stand on this issue because there’s other issues looming on the horizon including changes to teachers’ paying conditions. It isn't the teaching unions that have got us into this situation - it's unreasonable changes from the government," he said.

With strikes scheduled for June, some parents have expressed their fear that the situation could escalate and unions could call on members to boycott exams.

Mr Murray commented: "What worries me the most is that exams will be affected. My daughter is sitting her GCSEs this summer, and my son is taking his A levels. My fear is that their future education could be jeopardised."

However, Ray Crocker, a recently retired Harrow headteacher, is confident that industrial action will stop short of exam boycotts.

"The last thing that teachers and unions want to do is harm children's education. The issue the unions have is with the government, and not the students. The unions have emphasised that any industrial action will not coincide with exams."

Though not prepared to condone further strike action as an appropriate measure to resolve the dispute, Mr Thomas made it clear that the pension reform issue posed a difficult problem: "There’s an increasing pensions time bomb which needs to be looked at and we need to think about how we can afford them. We need an honest and open conversation about the pension system."