TEACHING UNION CONFERENCES


Strikes on the cards as NUT and NASUWT voice anger


by Pete Henshaw


The government has said that the deal on teachers’ pensions is “as good as it gets” despite threats of industrial action from two major teaching unions. During the Easter union


conference season, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) backed further industrial action over pensions while the NASUWT backed a motion to “intensify” its industrial action campaign protesting wider education policy, including pensions. NUT members also passed


an emergency motion backing industrial action if recent proposals for regionalised pay are enacted. At the NASUWT event in Birmingham, a motion said that it


would be “essential to intensify the industrial action campaign” and committed the union to “extending the current national action”. The union took part in the


November 30 pensions walkout last year but has since been operating a continuing work to rule campaign in protest at wider education policy, including academies, changes to pay and conditions and increasing workload. The motion backed the union’s


executive committee to plan the “next phase” of the industrial action campaign including “the escalation of action short of strike action and strike action”. Speaking after the debate,


general secretary Chris Keates said that the pensions issue was “by no means a done deal” and that strike action could take place in


the autumn. She added: “Teachers are continuing to see an assault on their pay, working conditions, pensions, professional status and on the curriculum they teach. Teachers do not feel there is any area of their working lives the government has not trampled over and it is impairing their ability to focus on raising standards for pupils. “If the government commits


to engaging constructively there should be no need to move to further industrial action.” Meanwhile, at the NUT in


Torquay an emergency motion was passed objecting to proposals to scrap national pay scales for the public sector, including teachers, and moving to regional pay. The chancellor has asked the pay review bodies, including the


ATL: Teacher wellbeing under threat


The pressure of school life has led four in 10 education staff to seek medical advice and a quarter to take sick leave. The annual conference of


the Association of Teachers and Lecturers saw a number of motions relating to workload and pressure on school staff. Research released by the union


to coincide with these debates found that 73 per cent of the 1,300 teachers, support staff and other education staff questioned believe their job has a negative impact on their health and wellbeing. Furthermore, 62 per cent said


it impacted on their relationships and friends. The main reasons for this were identified as workload (84 per cent), long hours (69 per cent), pressure of inspections (47 per cent), and the pressure of observations (40 per cent).


More than 40 per cent of staff


said their workload has increased in the past two years while half of those surveyed admitted to working 50 hours a week or more. While the research found that


40 per cent of education staff had visited the doctor because of the pressure of their job, this figure rises to 50 per cent among school support staff. A quarter of NQTs, meanwhile, admitted to seeking their GP’s help because of stress. The majority of respondents


said that reducing their workload would reduce their stress, although 41 per cent also want to get more support from their headteachers. One teacher told the survey: “I


would like to go to the GP but I am worried about taking time off due to the lack of empathy from senior staff on my return.” Among the debates at the ATL


conference, which took place in Manchester, one motion called on the union to investigate the impact of the new Ofsted framework on lesson observations, while another noted the numbers of teachers moving to part-time positions because of stress. A third instructed the union’s executive to investigate the links between workplace stress and poor mental health, while a fourth debate on workload called for the union to look into the extent to which workload is increasing. ATL general secretary Dr Mary


Bousted said: “The demands and pressures on those working in schools and colleges are escalating. The 35-hour week simply does not exist for teachers. Schools and the government must work together to ensure the introduction of wellbeing programmes and better policies to look after the health of their staff.”


NUT: Abuse of capability processes


Capability procedures are being used unfairly to target older, more expensive teachers, it has been claimed. Delegates at the National


Union of Teachers’ (NUT) annual conference in Torquay heard how teachers aged over 50 are often being targeted by an “unfair and potentially discriminatory” use of capability and being forced out of their schools. The motion alleged that many of


these teachers are women who have not had adverse Ofsted observations but who are on the Upper Pay Spine. It added: “Frequently, the individuals have not been identified via the existing performance management procedures or even using agreed classroom observation protocols. At times, our members are subjected to harassing and


demeaning treatment, to destablise them first, often culminating in deterioration in their mental and physical health.” The motion, which was passed,


called for the union to launch an investigation into the “severity and extent” of the problem. It also said the union must provide members with advice on what to do if they are graded as “requires improvement” under the new Ofsted framework. Amanda Brown, assistant


secretary of employment, conditions and rights at the NUT, said that anecdotal evidence was showing that some schools are trying to get rid of older teachers because they cost more and perhaps are not as willing to take on the heavy workload that a younger teacher will accept. She told SecEd: “Various


groups are feeling more vulnerable to the misuse of capability. They feel (that) because of the heavy workload they are facing, capability is used in an aggressive way to try and weed out the people who (the school) feels are not keeping up.” The government recently


removed the three-hour limit on observation and also linked performance management and capability procedures into one process. Christine Blower, NUT general


secretary, said: “Capability procedures must be fair in principle and in practice. That means offering a clear explanation of progress to be made, as well as a meaningful timescale for improvement – a feature missing from the government’s new recommended model of appraisal and capability.”


ATL: Free meals up as job losses hit


The ongoing recession and increasing numbers of redundancies are leading to more pupils taking up free school meals (FSM), teachers have said. Research by the Association of


Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) also found that schools are promoting take-up of FSM more ardently because of its link to extra funding via the Pupil Premium. The study was published to


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coincide with the union’s annual conference which took place in Manchester over the Easter period. One secondary teacher told


researchers that “prolonged rural poverty, lack of job opportunities in the area, an increase in single parent families and home breakdown” were responsible for the increased take-up. Another added: “The intake of children from disadvantaged families has


increased and government cut- backs in welfare have not helped.” Overall, more than 35 per cent


of the 500 teachers and teaching assistants said they have seen an increase in FSM take-up. A motion was passed by delegates recognising the rise in child poverty and calling for the introduction of a universal credit system that ensures FSM take-up is used as the accurate indicator of child poverty.


School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), to look at plans to bring pay into line with the local private sectors. The impact of this move would be felt in poorer UK regions, many of which have pay gaps of more than 10 per cent. The STRB is due to report in September. The motion said: “Cutting


wages will harm economic recovery, while local pay in teaching will harm recruitment and shift existing teacher shortages around the country.” It said the union should be


prepared to take “all appropriate action including being prepared to ballot for national strike action” if plans go ahead. Christine Blower, NUT general


secretary, said: “Not only would it take an inordinate amount of time, local pay bargaining in some


25,000 separate schools would create unnecessary bureaucracy, complexity, cost and potential inequity. We will seek to work alongside other teacher unions to defend teachers against any proposals to attack national terms and conditions.” Meanwhile, a motion on


pensions was passed rejecting the government’s latest offer and supporting further industrial action over the issue. Ms Blower added: “The NUT will seek unity with other unions for further action in the summer term and beyond.” The latest pensions offer retains


plans for a career-average scheme but include an improved accrual rate of 1/57th of salary each year. Teachers who are 10 years from retirement will be immune to any changes.


However, unions remain


concerned about increases in employee contributions from 6.4 to 9.6 per cent by 2014 and increasing the retirement age to 68. A Department for Education


spokesperson said: “The deal on teachers’ pensions is as good as it gets and takes the right balance. It guarantees teachers one of the best pensions available but keeps a lid on rising costs for the taxpayer. We’ve been in serious talks for months with unions to address their concerns and reach a final settlement.” On regional pay, they added:


“We’re well away from any decisions on regional pay – so it’s far too premature to talk about industrial action. We’ve asked the STRB to look at all the evidence. We will then consult with the profession in detail.”


Board meeting: The general secretary of the NASUWT delivered a scathing speech in front of education chief Michael Gove during her union’s annual conference in Birmingham this Easter. Well, kind of. With the NASUWT engaged in ongoing industrial action, Mr Gove turned down an invitation to attend. However, NASUWT chiefs wheeled out a cardboard cut-out of the education minister, to which Chris Keates delivered her address. Ms Keates said that Mr Gove had become the ‘poster boy’ for the union because his policies had led to a rise in recruitment. The speech attacked education policy for being elitist and opening up state schools to the private sector


NASUWT: Health and safety fears


Teachers have condemned attempts to redefine schools as “low-risk” environments, thus reducing workplace inspections by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A motion at the NASUWT


annual conference in Birmingham emphasised the “prevalence of serious health and safety risks in schools” which delegates said included asbestos, harassment and excessive working hours. The motion also attacked the


“abolition and dilution of critically important guidance for schools” on issues including educational visits and pupil behaviour. It accused the government of a “reckless and simplistic” approach to health and safety that would put lives at risk. The union’s general secretary


Chris Keates said: “Despite the weight of this evidence, since coming to power the government has slashed the budget of the HSE and announced plans to axe or reform 84 per cent of health and safety laws. “Over 140 pages of health


and safety guidance for schools, including robust and detailed


advice on protecting pupils on school trips, have been scrapped. This guidance provided schools and teachers with an important safeguard if things went wrong. The coalition government’s decision to sweep away this advice could make teachers more vulnerable.” It comes after a government


review of health and safety carried out by Lord Young and published in October 2010 called for the risk assessment procedure for classrooms and for educational trips to be simplified. However, in moving the motion,


NASUWT executive member Tim Cox said: “The planning, the authorisation, the risk assessments are all essential to ensure full consideration has been given to all the pitfalls. It is not paperwork that deters. Teachers don’t take trips because they do not want to suffer the consequences when something does go wrong.” Mr Cox also pointed to asbestos


exposure as a key risk for school staff and students given that 75 per cent of school buildings contain the deadly material.


The motion, which was carried,


called on the union to campaign for legislation to protect the health and wellbeing of all school staff and pupils and for the publication of guidance on the management of health and safety risks. A HSE spokeswoman said:


“Schools are comparatively low risk environments when compared to construction sites or the waste and recycling industry – where the HSE concentrates its proactive inspections. “The HSE does expect


schools and colleges to protect all employees and students and by adopting a common sense approach they can ensure that resources are aimed at tackling real risks.” On school trips, they added:


“Fears of prosecution by schools and their staff have been grossly inflated and are unwarranted.” The HSE has recent published


a health and safety checklist for classrooms as well as for asbestos management. A HSE policy statement on school trips is available at www.hse.gov.uk/ services/education/school-trips.pdf


SecEd • April 19 2012


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