Dear Parents and Carers,
I’d like to start off by apologising for the disruption caused by the strike yesterday. If it’s any consolation, I know how you feel. My son’s school was shut down and the OH had to look after him home in the morning and in the afternoon we relied upon the kindness of a family friend. I also lost a day’s pay. So why did I and so many others do it? Well- it was a last resort – since the government have been eyeing our pensions, I’ve written to our local MPs and visited them in Parliament, I’ve marched round the Level a few times, I’ve organised public meetings to make our case, I’ve even gone on TV a couple of times to make our case but still the Government have not budged an inch on any of the important matters (huge increase in pension contributions – much higher than a day’s pay, a devalued pension based on CPI, and – worst of all – raising the retirement age to 68). As Mark Serwotka demonstrated yesterday, the government is adamant on these issues.
You may have been told that the ballot showed luke warm support for industrial action but here in Brighton and Hove we had the highest turnout of anywhere in the country and a huge majority in favour of strike action we would have comfortably passed Vince Cable’s 50% test.
I am also very keen to thank you for the incredible support you showed yesterday. In my capacity as media-guy I was asked to go on picket line duty outside BHASVIC on the busy junction of Old Shoreham Road and Dyke Road. I was surprised and overwhelmed in equal measure by the encouragement of passers-by. Scaffolders, bus drivers, white van drivers, binmen, postal workers, Year 10 students, cyclists, ambulance drivers – it really was incredible and made me feel quite humbled. It was of course a taste of things to come on the march itself where we (all 4,000 of us) received the same level of support from shoppers and indeed police officers.
We care passionately about our children’s education, I have devoted my whole working life to that cause. In my spare time I am a school governor. I would not have gone on strike had we been three weeks away from GCSEs – like the royal wedding was. The politicians who had an invitation to that event didn’t seem to care about the disruption to our children’s education then but do so so now – a clear case of double standards – as indeed is their reluctance to reform their own pensions. Personally I was furious – I teach triple Year 11 on a Friday and did not want the students to miss any lessons so close to the exam.
Your support yesterday was magnificent and I am so very grateful – let’s all hope that it serves as a wake up call to the government
Love,
Ron
No one likes the cuts. Least of all me, with a son that needs extra help with many things. I do believe the government are cutting to far to fast. But I have real trouble giving you my full backing. The full facts are we live longer therefore we ALL have to work longer to pay for the extra years. It cannot be avoided. A further reason is that negotiations are still on going. take action when/if they fail not in the middle, so how does “last resort” fit in?
Oh one last thing, you voted to loose a days pay, we didn’t.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Darryl. I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner but I was at work. Let me try and deal with each of the points you raise:
1) As a nation we are living longer but I am not all together sure that teachers are. I’d like to have some good data on this but in my experience us teachers do not seem to live very long. This time last year I gave a speech at my friend John’s retirement do. In March I delivered his eulogy. He was 57. In 2009 my friend who taught Drama died at the age of 41. In April 2008 my friend Mandy who had been an English teacher and erstwhile president of the NASUWT died at the age 49. In 2005 my friend Jimmy died at the age of 56. He taught History and was my first ever union rep – a lovely man. Teaching is a very stressful demanding job I really should not be expected to do it at 68, furthermore I don’t really think that as a parent I want my children to be taught by a 68 year old conscript either at reception or in a tough Year 11 class.
2) Negotiations. It is the contention of the NUT, the ATL and the PCS that up until this week the government have not been negotiating in good faith. Did you listen to the Maude interview? Did you notice how he failed to say that he was prepared to modify the offer of working to 68 or withdraw the proposal to move to RPI, or indeed any of the substantive issues.
While we are on the subject of the ATL – this is a union for teachers set up specifically not to strike. Yesterday was the first time in their proud 127 year history that they have ever gone on strike. One of the heads’ unions (NAHT) are actually balloting members on strike action, the other the ASCL are actively considering it. These are unprecedented responses to an unprecedented assault on teachers’ pay and conditions. I stand to lose something in the region of £157,000 if the government gets its way on pensions. Did you notice how in that interview Maude constantly taunted Serwotka over how few civil servants were actually going on strike? – it’s almost as if striking is the only thing this government understands.
3) Lastly I know that you did not vote to lose a day’s pay – that’s one of the reasons I feel I should apologise for the disruption caused but this is not a fight the unions have picked with the government it’s a fight the government has picked with the unions.
At the risk of becoming a mutual appreciation society, thank you for not simply disregarding my comments.
OK, point 1. I could equally point to personal friends who are retired teachers, 3 of whom are well into their 80′s and one is 93 (my old history teacher). Whilst the stories you relate are all personal tragedies, they are not evidence. I also find the idea that teachers have a significantly lower life expectancy that other professions not a little hard to believe but also a little disrespectful to those who work in other front line services (e.g. police, fire service, etc.). I am sure if a GCSE student were to use personal stories as evidence for an argument they would be marked down.
Point 2. I did hear many interviews with both government and union officials throughout the day. Please believe me that I do not form my opinions with research. I fully agree the language used was in-transient but I have to say the language used on the counter argument was equally so. The essence of negotiation is that both side move their position. It is also worth pointing the amount of teachers who did not strike. My brother-in-law is a deputy head of a primary school and my best friend is a head of science, neither went on strike preferring other methods to make their point.
Point 3. “this is not a fight the unions have picked with the government it’s a fight the government has picked with the unions.” As with all fights it is not just those involved that get hurt or pay the price, those who have no beef or argument with either side pay the price. I left school in the wake of the miners strike, my family paid the price of a government vs union battle then. I have a feeling this will not be the last time me or my children will pay in this one.
Your apology is however welcome. And rather more fulsome than the NUT official on radio 5, the closest she got, was ” I am sorry the government has let it get this far.”. I also heard many other comments aimed at the private sector and the wider public, form protesters which were frankly wrong and in some cases disrespectful to hard working individuals, I will put down to high feelings and an emotional state.
Once again thank you for engaging in discussion.
1) Oddly enough, I am well aware that my anecdotes are not evidence. Please produce some evidence about the life expectancy of teachers as opposed to the population in general. Find out also what happens to their life expectancy each year they stay on past 55. Incidentally, how would you feel if your child only had teachers who were over the age of 60? I wouldn’t be keen to be honest. Any organisation benefits from a blend of youth and experience. There’s a real danger that we will not get that balance right in teaching. Teachers are getting older; 50% are aged over 45. For every 10 teachers that join the profession 4 leave within 2 years.
2) I doubt we’ll find much common ground on intransigence but teachers worked flexibly with last government to reduce the cost of pensions only four years ago and there were no strikes. This is the main reason why the cost of public sector pensions as percentage of GDP is now set to fall for the next ten years. That agreement has now been ripped up. Maude could call the bluff of the unions by giving ground on one of these issues and see how flexible they really are
3) I take your point about children being victims in this. Did you complain about schools closing for the Royal Wedding being so close to the GCSEs? Honestly? Believe it or not I would not go on strike if I did not think it was in the interests of all children that their teachers were well rewarded with a reasonable salary and a pension that encouraged them to keep their skills and knowledge within the profession.
With best wishes for a good weekend for you and your son,
Ron