Stroud Against the Cuts

Stroud Against the Cuts supports Teachers in taking Strike action on March 26th

The National Union of Teachers says: "Teachers are taking strike action to protect our
pay, pensions and conditions. Michael Gove’s changes will affect us, but they will also affect the
standards of education for your children. Michael Gove could have avoided this strike if he
had been willing to compromise or negotiate seriously with teachers."

Watch a short video on the reasons for the strike, or read on for more detail below. The NUT are encouraging people to write to their local MP - you can use a template letter and form on their website if you find that easier.

Teachers are striking for three reasons: workload and bureaucracy, the introduction of performance related pay, and unfair changes to pensions. The below text is from the NUT's leaflet on the strike:

"Workload:
• Teachers’ levels of workload are intolerable – the Government’s own survey, published last month,
shows that primary school teachers work nearly 60 hours a week and secondary school teachers
work nearly 56 hours a week.

• Government policies mean that far too much time is spent on bureaucratic box-ticking that
stops teachers focusing on teaching.

• Many teachers are leaving the profession due to workload pressures. This is bad for children and
bad for education.

Pay:
• The Government’s performance related pay is creating bureaucracy as well. It is moving ahead
despite the international evidence that PRP in teaching doesn’t work. This will affect children
too as teachers focus on the matters that affect their pay.
• Destroying the national pay framework means that in every school head teachers and
governors have to worry about developing a pay system instead of focusing on teaching and
learning.

Pensions
• Teachers don’t believe that they can work to 68 or even later for a full pension – and they don’t
believe it is educationally desirable either.
• The NUT recognises that other workers are having their pensions squeezed. We believe that
this is wrong too – everyone should be entitled to a decent standard of living in retirement.

• Ensure every classroom has a qualified teacher.
• Allow councils to open new schools where needed.
• Make sure changes to the curriculum and exams are positive and planned.
• Ensure there are enough teachers – stop picking fights with the ones we’ve got.
• Fund our schools properly and get them working together.

Visit www.teachers.org.uk/parents to register your support, email your MP and get campaign updates"

For more information see: http://www.teachers.org.uk/

Follow the hashtags #standupforedu and #M26 below for more information and photos from events on the day:

Tweets about "#standup4edu OR #M26"