Teachers - NUT ballot on pay strike
WORKERS, NOVEMBER 2008 ISSUE
The National Union of Teachers has balloted members on taking discontinuous strike action over pay. The ballot closes on 3 November and follows a previous ballot leading to a well supported day of strike action on 24 April. This time members in sixth-form colleges are also being balloted.
At the time of writing the ballot has yet to close, but branch secretaries and school representatives know that they need to work hard to encourage members to vote. Many members have expressed a reluctance to contemplate strike action when workers are facing recession and unemployment.
Nationally, the union has produced campaign materials for use in schools. These graphically show how teachers’ pay has fallen behind inflation over the past four years and will continue to do so under the present pay award of 2.45 per cent. The materials also highlight the consequent increased problems with recruitment and retention.