Teaching unions announce strike in UK
A series of regional strikes are to be held in Britain beginning in October involving the country™s two leading teaching unions amid coalition government™s fresh attacks on teachers™ working conditions and the state education system, it has been announced.
The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) announced the industrial actions, which will be completed with a one-day national strike in November.
As the new school year begins, teachers are totally dissatisfied with the government™s schemes targeting their jobs, payments and pension over the past two years.
The schemes include seeking to forcibly privatize schools through turning them to self-governing academies, imposing a new target driven, rote learning curriculum on schools, the rise in pension contributions, raising the retirement age to 68, the abolition of the national pay structure and handing over of powers to head teachers to implement pay decisions, and œperformance” management.
Simultaneous with the Conservative Party™s national conference on October 1, a one-day strike has been announced across the Eastern, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside regions.
A further strike is planned in the North East, London, South East and South West regions on October 17 and a national strike for November 18.
Unions and the government have had a long history of collaboration in assaulting the UK™s education system, for which teachers feel betrayed.
The teaching unions have always been siding with the government when teachers™ conditions have been a likely source of discontent or industrial action.
Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretary, told a Nottingham rally last weekend, œWe have a secretary of state who™s not listening. He™s not consulting properly and is just driving through his own personal agenda.”
Christine Blower, head of the NUT, told a London rally the same day, œIt is a great shame that the Education Secretary has let things get to this stage.
With pay pensions and working conditions being systematically attacked and an education secretary who refuses to listen or negotiate, teachers now, however have no other choice.”
MOL/HE
Copyright: Press TV
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