Current Issues

Teachers’ pay has fallen behind inflation and behind pay in other professions. The NUT’s pay campaign means that every teacher knows about the fair pay issue. The NUT strike on 24 April has raised public awareness and shown how strongly teachers feel. The NUT’s involvement in the successful TUC lobby of Parliament on 9 June has brought the issue to the doors of MPs and the Government.

Use the resources on the NUT website at www.teachers.org.uk/fairpay to keep supporting the NUT’s campaign! Write to your MP using the email lobbying facility
See your MP or local councillor in their local surgeries
Sign the NUT petition and make sure your colleagues at school do the same
Make sure teachers’ pay and workload are live discussions in your staffroom and community
Get involved in the NUT and in local meetings and campaigning.

The NUT wants a proper work life balance for every teacher. It’s good for you and good for the children you teach. The NUT’s workload campaign is a nationally supported campaign that can be taken forward in your school and in every school. NUT guidance has been sent to all schools. Read it at www.teachers.org.uk/workload. Organise discussion in your staffroom with your NUT colleagues and other teachers.

Working together, we can secure the NUT’s workload targets for September 2008:
No to clerical or administrative tasks
A directed time calendar in all schools
Reductions in cover hours
Ten per cent PPA time for all teachers
Leadership and management time on top of PPA time
Policy on planning and meetings in line with NUT policy
Proper midday

Acting General Secretary Christine Blower says: “Excessive workload and the erosion of teachers’ pay are issues which affect every teacher and can unite the teaching profession. The NUT is ready to work with those who recognise this and want to do something about it.”

Teachers’ pay has fallen behind inflation and behind pay in other professions. GOOD FOR CHILDREN, GOOD FOR TEACHERS - The NUT wants a proper work life balance for every teacher. It’s good for you and good for the children you teach.

FAIR PAY FOR TEACHERS

Teachers’ pay has fallen behind inflation and behind pay in other professions.

The NUT’s pay campaign means that every teacher knows about the fair pay issue. The NUT strike on 24 April has raised public awareness and shown how strongly teachers feel. The NUT’s involvement in the successful TUC lobby of Parliament on 9 June has brought the issue to the doors of MPs and the Government.

Use the resources on the NUT website at www.teachers.org.uk/fairpay to keep supporting the NUT’s campaign!

Write to your MP using the email lobbying facility See your MP or local councillor in their local surgeries Sign the NUT petition and make sure your colleagues at school do the same Make sure teachers’ pay and workload are live discussions in your staffroom and community Get involved in the NUT and in local meetings and campaigning.

GOOD FOR CHILDREN, GOOD FOR TEACHERS

The NUT wants a proper work life balance for every teacher. It’s good for you and good for the children you teach. The NUT’s workload campaign is a nationally supported campaign that can be taken forward in your school and in every school. NUT guidance has been sent to all schools. Read it at www.teachers.org.uk/workload. Organise discussion in your staffroom with your NUT colleagues and other teachers.

No to clerical or administrative tasks
A directed time calendar in all schools
Reductions in cover hours
Ten per cent PPA time for all teachers
Leadership and management time on top of PPA time
Policy on planning and meetings in line with NUT policy
Proper midday breaks for all teachers.

Acting General Secretary Christine Blower says:
“Excessive workload and the erosion of teachers’ pay are issues which affect every teacher and can unite the teaching profession. The NUT is ready to work with those who recognise this and want to do something about it.”

Brendan barber, General Secretary TUC, speaking on April 24th

On 24 April 2008, the Union’s day of action made public sector pay and, the erosion in teachers’ pay, a focus of public debate. Supporting the Union’s campaign, Fair Pay for Teachers, TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber stated that, “The Government has to be persuaded to turn away from their wrong-headed approach to public sector pay. If inflation is 4 per cent and you offer a pay award of 2 per cent, that’s a pay cut in anybody’s language.” This campaign is winning broad support amongst teachers and parents and is moving into a new phase.

During the campaign, the NUT has grown. Many young teachers, often the worst hit by inflation and pay cuts, have joined. The Union is now moving the campaign forward. The campaign is broad and inclusive. All members are encouraged to participate by writing to their MPs and local councillors, by signing the Fair Pay For Teachers petition and by keeping the issue of teachers’ pay a live topic in staffrooms. All are invited to sign the petition.

There is a TUC Lobby of Parliament on 9 June 2008 and many NUT representatives will be there ensuring that our legislators hear our message loud and clear.

The NUT is to ballot members on a one day strike to take place on 24 April 2008. The ballot opens on 28 February 2008.

The NUT is to ballot members on a one day strike to take place on 24 April 2008. The ballot opens on 28 February 2008. The Union’s National Executive met on 24 January to consider the Government’s decision to impose a below inflation pay increase on teachers and to determine the next steps in the campaign to protect and restore the living standards of teachers and their families. Any action the Union takes will be designed to give voice to teachers’ determination to halt the damage inflicted, year-on year, by real term cuts to teachers’ salaries. The impact of such pay policies on the profession and schools is well known. ‘Boom and bust’ pay policies were a feature of the 1980s and 1990s and resulted in low morale and enormous recruitment and retention problems in the profession.

LOSING £1,000 A YEAR

The pay increase of 2.45 per cent is well below the inflation rate of 4 per cent. Teachers’ pay was also increased by less than inflation in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Every teacher has lost at least £1,000 a year or even more.

Most categories of teachers work in excess of 50 hours per week. All teachers face excessive workloads. Teachers need to make clear to Government that teachers need to be valued.

It’s time to call a halt to cuts in the real pay of teachers who are working in excess of 50 hours per week.

YOUNG TEACHERS LOSE £2 PER DAY

Young teachers have been hit particularly hard. They are already losing £2 every day due to below inflation increases. Their salaries are not competitive with other graduate professions. Most cannot take even their first step on the housing ladder.

General Secretary, Steve Sinnott, said:

“Teachers shouldn’t have to take this action to receive fair pay and have a reasonable workload. It’s time to call a halt to the fall in the real value of teachers’ pay.”

The pay settlement of 2.45 per cent for 2008 is well below the rate of inflation. Teachers’ standard of living and that of their families will continue to deteriorate. The Government says that the pay award will enable teachers and schools to plan ahead with a greater degree of security. Not so. Below inflation pay rises will make teaching less attractive and drive teachers out of the profession.

Increases in the cost of housing, fuel and food mean that this pay settlement is a pay cut. The Government wants to make all schools centres of creativity, innovation and enjoyment, ‘ready to challenge and inspire’. The high degree of professionalism expected of teachers, however, is not reflected in their pay.

THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSALS – AND INFLATION

The Government’s proposals below need to be seen in the context of inflation at 4.0%.

September 2008 - an increase of 2.45% on the Main and Upper pay scales

September 2009 and September 2010 - further increases of 2.3% on these pay scales

Pay for leadership teachers and ASTs, SEN allowances and TLR payments will increase as above – but safeguarded MAs stay frozen

Higher increases for Inner London NQTs and UPS teachers in 2008, 2009 and 2010 – M1 to go up by 3.45%, 4% and 3.85% and UPS3 to go up by 3.45%, 3.0% and 3.0%

Higher increases for Outer London NQTs and UPS teachers in 2008 only – M1 to go up by 3.8% and UPS3 by 3.98%

The STRB will in 2009 review the proposed increases for 2009 and 2010 in case inflation is higher than expected

YOUR PAY LOSSES SO FAR>/p>

The Government’s increases do nothing to restore your pay losses since 2005. A teacher on UPS3 since April 2005 has already lost £1,937 and this will rise to £3,610 in the coming year. A leadership group teacher on L14 has already lost £2,712 and this will rise to £5,058.

General Secretary, Steve Sinnott said: “Teachers are the victims, not the causes, of inflation. This settlement is unfair on teachers. The NUT Executive meets next week and I have no doubt they will want a robust response.”

The ballot for an NUT political fund opens on 7 January. All members are included in the ballot. NUT members are urged to vote YES in the ballot.

An NUT political fund will not alter our traditional political independence. The ballot is not about affiliating to or supporting any political party, it is about enabling the Union to campaign against racist and fascist parties during elections.

Other education unions – such as the University and College Union (formerly NATFHE and AUT), the NASUWT, and the Educational Institute of Scotland – have political funds but remain independent of any political party.

A Voice for your Union

Last year the far right British National Party (BNP) put up over 700 candidates in council elections throughout the country. In Barking and Dagenham they won 12 of the 13 seats they contested.

Yet the NUT was unable to stand up and say clearly, “Don’t vote for the BNP. Don’t vote for racist and fascists”. This is because it does not have a political fund.

A political fund would give a stronger voice to your Union, enabling it to campaign at elections against political parties who promote racist, fascist and similar views.

Hotline

This facility will be open from Monday, 14 January and remain open until Thursday, 24 January. NUT members not in receipt of a ballot paper should, themselves, contact the Hotline listed below. They should have ready their membership details, including membership number OR the postcode of their home or school. Members who may have moved home or school recently should also have available full details of their last recorded home or school address, including the postcode.

Telephone Hotline: 0207 380 4825

NUT General Secretary, Steve Sinnott, said:

“Our Union has a long and proud history of campaigning for equality. It must have a political fund to speak out strongly against racists and fascists at election times.

I urge you to vote Yes in the forthcoming ballot so that the NUT can play its full part countering those who use elections to spread their racist ideas which socially divisive and can do so much damage to children’s educatoiin.”