Teachers in walkout could still be paid
Fears workers will circumvent rules as four out of five schools forced to shut classrooms
STRIKING teachers will be paid, officials fear, as unions are set to force the closure of classrooms at the vast majority of schools today.
More than 100,000 members of the National Education Union are expected to walk out in the most disruptive teachers’ strike in over a decade, with 85 per cent of schools in England and Wales closing to some or all year groups.
However, schools have decided to shut without knowing which of their teachers have backed strike action, owing to laws which mean union members cannot be forced to tell their bosses.
Concerns were raised that this could enable striking teachers to claim they are working and therefore be paid.
In a letter to all schools last night, Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, reminded head teachers that any striking staff must not be paid. The letter, seen by The Daily Telegraph, stated: “In all cases, where employees take strike action, they are not entitled to be paid for any period during which they are on strike.” Mrs Keegan also stressed that teachers not on strike should turn up to work and could be asked to cover for those taking action.
Teachers on social media said they believed some workers could still get paid. “If [head teachers] close the school because teachers won’t say if they’re striking in advance, they’ll get paid,” one wrote. Another shared on social media that she had voted to strike, but that the first day of industrial action coincided with a “free trip” her class had planned to take to the zoo.
Her dilemma was apparently resolved after she spoke to her union. “I’m still going to the zoo and making a donation to the hardship fund and striking on the other days,” she said.
Unions have declared today a de facto general strike, with 500,000 workers walking out across seven unions, according to the Trades Union Congress. As well as teachers, train drivers, civil servants, airport and university staff are taking industrial action.
Commuters will be left stranded across the country as 15 train operators run no trains both today and Friday.
The walkouts by both the Aslef and RMT unions mean there will not even be reduced services operating.
Hundreds of military personnel, along with volunteers from across government are on standby to support public services. Although health unions are not on strike, NHS bosses are understood to be concerned that the industrial action could still cause chaos in hospitals as the teacher strike forces staff with children to take time off.
The NEU is striking after only a minority, or 48 per cent of its members in England voted to take industrial action. In Wales, 54 per cent of its members voted to strike over pay.
About 40,000 teachers have joined the NEU since teacher strikes were announced a fortnight ago. They will be able to participate in the industrial action and maximise disruption. While some schools have said they will adopt bigger class sizes and use volunteers to keep children in classrooms, many pupils have been told to expect a day of online learning. Teachers who are not on strike have been told to come into school, but may have little to do. There is nothing to stop teachers who have backed the strikes from going into school.
Some schools are likely to permit working from home, but it is unclear how this will be monitored.
The NEU has notified schools of how many teachers at each institution are members. However, legally, head teachers cannot demand to know who these staff are and members do not have to tell their bosses if they intend to strike. This has meant schools have assumed a worst case scenario in terms of teacher numbers, leading to the expected widespread closures.
Whitehall sources were alarmed by the suggestion from the NEU that 85 per cent of schools will be affected.
Nick Gibb, the schools minister, insisted he expected the “majority” of schools to be open “in some capacity”. Robin Walker, Tory MP and chairman of the education select committee, said: “It’s important that every effort should be made to keep schools open to as many pupils as possible. After the pan- demic, the last thing children need is to be out of school for any period of time.” With seven dates planned for strikes by teachers in February and March, parents fear children will be held back as they attempt to recover from lost learning during lockdowns.
Mrs Keegan thanked NEU members who gave advance notice of their intention to strike to schools so head teachers can “do everything they can to keep their schools open for as many pupils as possible, particularly for the most vulnerable, children of critical workers and those taking formal exams and assessments”.
TEACHERS in England are among the highest paid for the lowest hours in Europe and the developed world, according to analysis published ahead of a mass walkout over pay.
Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that average salaries for experienced teachers in England are higher than in Sweden, Switzerland, France, Finland and other countries.
Teachers in most state schools in England are legally required to be at work, or available for work, for a maximum of 1,265 hours spread over 195 days of the year – fewer than for any other developed nation that provides data to the OECD, except Luxembourg.
OECD research shows that for those with 15 years’ experience, average pay for primary school teachers in 2020, when adjusted to account for purchasing power in different countries, is $54,889 (£44,500) in England, which is higher than the OECD average of $49,245 (£40,000), and the EU average of $49,022 (£39,800).
Teacher pay in England was higher than for counterparts in Italy ($39,563), France ($40,043) and Finland ($45,772).
For England’s secondary schools, average pay after 15 years’ experience was also $54,889 (£44,500), higher than both the EU and OECD average.
The data show pay for primary teachers in England, as compared to their peers educated to a similar standard but in other professions, is higher than Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, France and Finland. Secondary school wages in junior years, as a proportion of average pay of similarly educated peers, is again higher than Sweden, Norway, France, Finland and the Czech Republic.
The findings come as more than 100,000 teachers prepare to strike across England and Wales today to demand further pay rises, even though experienced teachers were awarded a 5 per cent pay rise for last year, with starting pay increased by 8.9 per cent.
Prof Alan Smithers, the director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said: “I think it’s irresponsible for teachers to be pressing for big pay rises, given the financial circumstances of the country. Relatively speaking, they are well paid.
“What they are requesting is that money from the taxes of people who are also struggling be transferred to them.
“The heart of their job is the education of children, who have already suffered considerable disruption from the pandemic, and it seems irresponsible to
‘Teachers are requesting money from taxes of those who are also struggling be transferred to them’
me that they should want to impose further disruption.”
Across 36 countries, the UK ranks fifth for investment in education, with 4.1 per cent of GDP put into education up to university level.
Chris Mcgovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: “Our system is so expensive, we pay more per head than most counties ... we need to reward the best teachers but we don’t need to reward the poor teachers.”
He added: “Strike action is despicable, iniquitous and inexcusable.”
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Teachers have had double-digit, deep and sustained real-terms pay cuts since 2010. If this were not the case, then the Government would not be failing to hit recruitment targets.
“The OECD data appears to ignore the high levels of unpaid hours which teachers work and which devalues pay. Working weeks of 55 to 60 hours are typical for teachers in the UK.”