Teaching unions outline timetable of industrial action
The two largest teaching unions, NUT and NASUWT, have announced a series of industrial actions in response to their dispute with the government over pay, pensions and workload.
The actions include:
National rallies across England and Wales in April and May
National strikes starting in the North West on June 27
If the Education Secretary does not "respond positively to the unions’ demands" there is also a chance of further strike action in the Autumn term, including a one-day nationwide strike.
Teachers will be striking in Newton-le-willows over working conditions.
Members of the teacher's union NASUWT, will hold the first of three days of action at Newton-le-Willows Primary School in Merseyside.
It's over a new appraisal policy introduced by St Helens Council which subjects teachers to unlimited classroom observations. Up to 14 teachers will walk out today as well as two days next week.
The NASUWT is committed to an appraisal system where those who manage teachers engage in a professional dialogue with them, respect them as professionals, and make decisions about their work openly and fairly.
“Unfortunately, the policy adopted by St Helen’s Council is the fallout from the Government’s 2012 Regulations, which are used as a punitive management tool to pressurise and intimidate teachers.
“Our members at Newton-le-Willows Primary are hard-working and dedicated. They have sought to avoid taking this action, but have been left with no choice.”
Bus drivers on the Isle of Man are meeting union leaders to discuss strikes for the next three months in a bitter dispute with government-owned Bus Vannin.
The row began after the Manx government’s Department of Community Culture and Leisure (DCCL) instructed Vannin to cut the budget by £300,000.
Drivers’ contracts were then terminated and new contracts imposed, slashing drivers’ wages by up to £3,000-a-year.
Unite is urging Vannin and the DCCL to sit down face-to-face with an independent third party chair for binding arbitration to resolve the dispute.
It is with great sadness that plans for a new wave of strike action are being put in place today, particularly when there is a logical common sense way to end this protracted dispute.“I appeal yet again to Nick Black, the department’s chief executive and the DCCL to refer this matter to a third party for binding arbitration. This would be the fairest way to resolve the problem and avoid triggering further disruption to the general public on the Isle of Man.
– Bobby Morton, Unite
Unite members, employed by Bus Vannin, took part in a three-day stoppage last month (Thursday, 20 December, Friday, 21 December, and Saturday, 22 December 2012) after talks broke down with the company.
Today's strike action has been extremely well supported by Ford staff and the message to management has been crystal clear. The Ford staff 's strike committee will meet later this week to decide next steps.
Our staff members will not stand by and allow Ford to create a two-tier workforce on pay and pensions. To date Ford has failed to make any genuine attempts to resolve this dispute.
Ford must prove that it is committed to the UK by investing in its UK workforce.
