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Teachers go on strike in four English regions Teachers strike over pay and conditions across 49 local authorities
(about 5 hours later)
Thousands of teachers are taking part in a one-day strike in a row over pay, pensions and working conditions. Schools throughout the Midlands, Yorkshire and east of England have been forced to shut after members of Britain's two largest teachers' unions took industrial action as part of a series of regional protests against government plans to change teachers' pay and working conditions.
Tens of thousands of schoolchildren are expected to be affected by the strike, which is taking place across four English regions on Tuesday. The joint action by members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the NASUWT affected tens of thousands of pupils across 49 local authorities, with many schools closed for the day and others reducing their hours or cutting classes.
The industrial action – the latest in a wave of regional strikes – has been organised by two of England's biggest teaching unions, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the NASUWT. In Leeds, 111 schools were closed and 91 others had limited teaching or had to turn away some year groups.
The government has condemned the move, saying it is disappointed that the unions have decided to strike. The walkout will affect schools in 49 local authorities in the east of England, the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside. Speaking at a rally at Birmingham's international convention centre, the NASUWT general secretary, Chris Keates, said: "Teachers have had enough of the myths and misinformation about their achievements from Michael Gove."
Chris Keates, the NASUWT general secretary, said: "The overwhelming majority of teachers in four regions will be on strike today. Strike action is a last resort, teachers have been left with no choice but to demonstrate their anger and frustration in the face of their genuine concerns being dismissed and trivialised." She accused the education secretary of indulging in "megaphone diplomacy", and said: "Teachers are being asked to pay the price of a recession they didn't create."
Christine Blower, the NUT general secretary, said: "No teacher takes strike action lightly but the intransigence of this education secretary has left teachers with no choice. We cannot stand by and watch our profession be systematically attacked and undermined. There needs to be a change in the government's attitude to teachers and education." One of the key issues is the Department for Education's desire to extend performance-related pay for teachers, giving more power to headteachers to reward staff. The teaching unions say that without clear rules such a system would be open to abuse.
A DfE spokeswoman said: "It is disappointing that the NUT and NASUWT are striking over the government's measures to allow heads to pay good teachers more." A DfE spokesman said the union action was disappointing and out of line with public attitudes. "In a recent poll, 61% of respondents supported linking teachers' pay to performance and 70% either opposed the strikes or believed that teachers should not be allowed to strike at all.
The spokeswoman said that in a recent poll 61% of those questioned backed linking teachers' pay to performance, a key government reform currently being introduced. The survey also found that the majority of respondents were opposed to the walkouts or thought teachers should not be allowed to strike. "All strikes will do is disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession," the department said.
"All strikes will do is disrupt parents' lives, hold back children's education and damage the reputation of the profession," the spokeswoman said. Further strikes are planned for 17 October in London, the north-east, Cumbria and the south of England.
The first regional strike took place in the north-west on 27 June, and further strikes are expected on 17 October in the north-east, south-east, south-west and London. The two unions have also announced plans for a national one-day strike before Christmas. A survey by the Policy Exchange thinktank, conducted by YouGov, found that a plurality of teachers supported some form of performance-related pay, so long as it reduced bureaucracy and was transparent in operation.
On Monday workers in crown post offices went on strike in a row over jobs, pay and closures. Strike threats also remain within the fire service and over Royal Mail privatisation. At a fringe debate on the subject hosted by Policy Exchange at the Conservative party conference in Manchester on Monday, the NUT deputy general secretary, Kevin Courtney, said teachers' current terms and conditions already included performance elements.
The fringe meeting heard from George Parker, former head of the Washington teachers' union in the US, who helped broker a landmark deal involving performance pay in the District of Columbia that used external, independent evaluators to avoid giving too much power to headteachers.
Courtney said the use of external evaluators would be a "significant factor" in overcoming union objections to performance pay, if the government was willing to adopt the idea.
Christine Blower, the general secretary of the NUT, said participation in Tuesday's strike showed the levels of anger felt by teachers.
"Strike action is never a step that teachers take lightly and we are very aware and concerned about the inconvenience it causes parents. Unfortunately we are faced with a government that is refusing to listen to the reasonable demands of the profession. Changes to pay, pensions and workload will make teaching a far less attractive profession, which is not in the long-term interests of teachers and children," Blower said.
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