Union warns over school strike

A TEACHING union heading a threeday school strike has warned it will ballot for more walk-outs elsewhere in Wales if jobs are lost under other schemes to merge primaries and secondaries.

Rex Phillips, NASUWT national official for Wales, said teachers should not be forced to re-apply for their posts where new three-to-18 schools are created.

Tonyrefail School in Rhondda Cynon Taf will be shut for a second day today and a third tomorrow as teachers strike over potential redundancies.

Members of NASUWT at the school have walked out of the classroom in support of colleagues not given positions at their re-organised school.

The school, which has more than 1,000 pupils aged 11 to 18, is closing at the end of the academic year and reopening as a new school for children aged between three and 18 in September this year.

The NASUWT said teachers have been forced to re-apply for their jobs and four of its members have not been given jobs in the new school.

More than 30 striking members picketed outside the closed school yesterday and the union has circulated a letter to parents and guardians affected by the school closure asking for their “support and understanding.”

The letter says: “The strike action is in protest against the failure of the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and the school governing bodies to ensure that the livelihoods of the staff working at both the secondary and primary school were not placed in jeopardy because of the decision to combine the school into a three to 18 school.

“The NASUWT has maintained consistently that this should be a prerequisite of any such school reorganisation proposals in any local authority in Wales.”

The letter goes on to say the vast majority of existing staff have secured posts in the new school but this still leaves livelihoods of four staff who were not offered jobs “at risk”.

“NASUWT members are taking this action in a demonstration of solidarity with the four members who have been left with the distress and anxiety of not s what the future holds for them and their families.

“The NASUWT has previously withdrawn seven days of strike action planned last term to allow the situation to be sorted out before the end of the year. Unfortunately the point has now been reached where a guarantee of no compulsory redundancy, rather than promises of exploring alternative employment options is needed.”

Rhondda Cynon Taf council said 35 of the union’s 39 members at Tonyrefail School have secured roles at the new school, which will open in September.

“The council has made it clear to the union that it is committed to seeking alternative employment for the remaining four staff members.

“Given that the internal employment process for the new school has only just ended and the process of seeking this alternative employment has only just begun the council is surprised at the timing of this action by the union and its members. There are still two terms remaining of this academic year to explore these options.

“Furthermore, three of the four roles at the existing Tonyrefail School would have contractually ended in August 2017 but the council chose to keep them on as additional resources to give all staff the opportunity to apply for roles at the new school.”