How will you cope with the teachers' strike?

[emc]

Hello

Sorry another TV request!...as I'm sure most of you know next Wednesday (30th Nov) is a day of national strikes, including teachers.

I just wondered if there was anyone out there who has got an interesting story to tell in regard to how you are going to deal with your children not being in school on that day?

Are any of you forming a 'Mum's army' (or Dad's Army!) and going into your child's school to help supervise the children so the school can remain open (this might not of course be possible as most Headteachers will be striking too)

Or are the Grandparents helping out? If so, it would be great to get a group of these grandparents together to talk about how they are stepping in to help working mums and dads.

Or perhaps some non-working mums are taking on working mums kids for the day?

I'm interested in any great stories against the backdrop of the strike.

Pls let me know if you have a great story to tell.

Many thanks!

[ladywotlunches]

Would help if I could, but as at tonight I still don't know if school will be closed in a weeks time. Seems that parents don't need to know whether we have to take the day off in less than a week ...

[Coach Beth]

Sorry but my son's school (Goose Green) will definately be open as most teachers and the head aren't striking(although the nursery, one year 3 & one year 4 class will not be running due to those teachers going on strike).

[emc]

Hi Coach Beth

So does that mean that those classes whose teachers are on strike won't be allowed into school or will these children simply be put into classes where the teachers are working on that day?

thanks

[Coach Beth]

Don't know the details - best to contact the schools directly for accurate information.

[Fuschia]

emc Wrote:

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>

> Are any of you forming a 'Mum's army' (or Dad's

> Army!) and going into your child's school to help

> supervise the children so the school can remain

> open

What a terrible idea, parents (non CRB checked!) scabbing on those of us who work in schools and are about to see our pensions dramatically eroded.

[Fuschia]

I am not in the teacher pension scheme.., but far from being an 'unaffordable burden' it has been estimated that over the lifetime of the scheme, ?46bn more has been paid in than paid out.. with a large amount of that excess used as 'free cash' by the governments of the day!

http://nottinghamcitynut.org/pensionfacts.html

[njc97]

Fuschia that's a pretty one sided set of facts, some of which are out of date (the 46bn in particular I don't think is relevant)

[Fuschia]

I don't think you can expect public sector workers who are striking about their pensions, to really take on board the one sided media reports that seem to blame us for the crisis in the world economy! The press triea to set private sector workers who have crap pensions in this country, against the public sector staff who are about to end up with crap pensions, diverting attention frpom those who are really to blame (who i don't see rushing to give up any of their pay, bonuises, benefits or pensions, for the common good!)

[Otta]

What makes ne laugh us how some people seem to support the workers going out on strike, until teachers do it, and it effects them, as their kid can't go to school that day.

Guess what, the point of striking is to disrupt, and make a point if how valuable you actually are.

Regarding teachers, I think the the higher teachers are paid too much, and the newer teachers are very underpaid for the work they are expected to do.

Regarding pensions, as with any public sector job, I feel it us completely wrong to move the goalposts on people that have gone in to a job with an agreed set of T&Cs.

Offer a new pension to new starters, but don't go changing existing deals, it is completely wrong!

[ladywotlunches]

With regard to teachers striking (as opposed to anyone else) I feel that those it disrupts the most (parents/children) can do the least about it. Whether we agree or not, we can't give them what they want - we can't even vote out the govt for another few years to protest.

With most other professions striking, its inconvenient, but we have other short term options. With Teachers, we have no other options, and our children miss out on education. If teachers strike, the school just closes - and actually, that doesn't have too much effect on the institution. Other forms of industrial action for teachers, at least, would be more effective at disrupting the LEA/Government (work to rule etc), without affecting children so dramatically.

[bluesuperted]

Yes, it is inconvenient, but it's also their right to strike, just because they are indispensable doesn't mean that they shouldn't have the right to industrial action, same goes for firemen, policemen, nurses etc.

In my lifetime this is only the second teachers strike that I've been aware of, they seldom do it, but the pensions issue is pretty hefty as teachers have historically accepted lower wages (as do other public sector workers) in the hope of being looked after *slightly better* in their retirement years in return for XX years public service. The government and media is indeed doing a good job of sidestepping the real guilty parties of current economic woes and putting blame at the feet of these disruptive, selfish teachers.....

I can tell you what most teachers will be doing on strike day - marching, marking, planning, preparing for inspection or catching up in general, all whilst losing a day's pay (pre-Christmas!) for attempting to stand up for their rights and the rights of future teachers - it's pretty inconvenient for them too. And as usual the media and a large proportion of parents, will be cursing them.

(Full disclosure: wife of a very hard-working and dedicated teacher!)

[Chippy Minton]

It's only one day!

Yes it's inconvient, but I don't think their education is going to suffer "dramatically".

[ladywotlunches]

Chippy Minton - One day for now, yes. My point is that the inconvenience disproportionately affects those that can do least about it. The school reopens the next day and all is fine. The parents have had to take days off (also in some cases unpaid), rearrange working days/meetings etc, and incur the disapproving looks from employers (without the backing of a union if they are in the private sector) who already think that working parents are a burden.

Everyone blames the bankers - but they won't be affected at all by this strike as their kids are no doubt in private school.

Bluesuperted - This is the second teachers strike in my son's life at school, and he's only in Year 1!! And I went to school in the 80s where teachers strikes were so commonplace that my school permanently restructured its hours to ease disruption to pupils.

[Otta]

My point is that the inconvenience disproportionately affects those that can do least about it.

I suspect most commuters couldn't do much about Tube staff conditions and pay.

And I doubt most holiday makers could have a great deal of effect on cabin crew pay conditions.

That is what striking is. I've never gone out on strike, but I would if I felt strongly enough. I'm sure a lot of the teachers would rather it not be necessary to make their point.

[ladywotlunches]

Otta Wrote:

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>

> I suspect most commuters couldn't do much about

> Tube staff conditions and pay.

>

> And I doubt most holiday makers could have a great

> deal of effect on cabin crew pay conditions.

>

> That is what striking is. I've never gone out on

> strike, but I would if I felt strongly enough. I'm

> sure a lot of the teachers would rather it not be

> necessary to make their point.

But commuters can use other forms of transport to get to work. (painful, but possible) Holiday makers get a refund on their ticket and can rebook (again, painful, but not in the end out of pocket). My point is that a strike hurts the govt less longer term than it does parents/children. Other forms of industrial action may cause more pain to the people the Teachers have their issues with.

[Chippy Minton]

ladywotlunches - I didn't deny it's inconvient, it's the perceived affect on their education that seems bizzare. Also, I'm not sure why you think that working in the private sector means people don't have the backing of a union. There are more private sector trade union members in this country than public sector.

Otta - agreed. Every strike will inconvience someone, somewhere. People only get annoyed when it affects them..."my kids go to school so teachers shouldn't be allowed to strike; I go to work on the tube so tube workers shouldn't be allowed to strike; I'm going on holiday so British Airways shouldn't be allowed to strike" etc

[bluesuperted]

I went to school from 1985-1999 and not a single strike day. And the two this year are interconnected - two sides of the same striking coin.

By the way private school teachers strike too - I marched alongside one from a very renowned Dulwich private school in the summer...

[ladywotlunches]

Chippy Minton - in the other instances you mention, those affected are using an optional service. School is a legal requirement/right - which children are being denied because of the teachers' "right to strike".

I feel the same about Fire personnel, Medical Personnel and the Police striking. In these instances, those who require the services have no other choice. Which in my opinion should mean that those personnel should have a right to other forms of industrial action, but not strikes.

But of course, those who agree with strikes will never concede that there could be another way. So I'm leaving it here.

[StraferJack]

When you decide to have children, you do realise there will be days, outside your control, where you have to make alternative arrangements at short notice, right?

No parent gets through life without having to do that several times, for any number of reasons. You'll be fine, just like you always are

[Chippy Minton]

I'm not making any point about a "right to strike" by teachers or anyone else for that matter. It's the assertion that it's going to "dramatically" affect their education!

http://eddiedeguzman.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/cartoon-bang-head-jpg.gif?w=200&h=200

[ladywotlunches]

Well Chippy, we agree on one thing - that image is exactly how I feel.