So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

[E10 Rifle]

Touched on, admittedly, in the London elections thread by Ton Ton, whom I bumped into outside Westminster Hall earlier, but worthy of its own thread, because it was one of the most impressively well-attended and upbeat union-led demos I've been on in a while, and which I was happy to attend to back up various teacher muckers of mine (and cos I'm a lefty agitator).

So, any tales from the picket line anyone?

[Spearmint Rhino]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

I was mildly amazed to hear that it's been 21 years since there was a teachers' strike. When I was a kid they seemed to go on strike every six months. What with that and Jubilees and Royal Weddings and the Three Day Week and burst water pipes and measles outbreaks, it's a wonder we ever learned anything.

It's interesting that public sympathy seems to have fallen through the floor over those two decades. There are a lot of people out there who basically seem to think that teachers shouldn't be allowed to go on strike or even have a union (like coppers or GCHQ spies). The attritional effect of Thatcherblairism, I guess.

[rick derris]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

they keep saying this 21 year thing. In my 14 year teaching career (being the last 14 years) there have been two days of strike action by the NUT, yesterday being the third.

I was not in the right union to strike and probably wouldn't even if I was. The march was quite good on TV. 'Croydon NUT, together strong' being a memorable banner. I did think looking at the TV, thinking "is that person really a teacher?" but then remembered most people probably think that of me

[DCI Harry Batt]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

I remember the same arguments being put previously, back when I was at school, about how teachers should never strike. All that "they don't care about the kids" stuff. I used to say "I wish they cared enough about our education to take all-out action".

That attitude is exaggerated by the media though. Even the BBC's own "Have your say" - often a hotbed of Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells - is pretty supportive. Certainly more so than you'd think if you only watched coverage on TV news.

The Standard was interesting yesterday too - a massive front page photo of the demo (good photo too, with one of our placards right at the front!) and a double page inside with little comment.

[Duncan Gardner]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

My memory of 70s and 80s strikes is closer to Tonton's than Rhino's. I was a civil servant for 11 years and we lost a similar number of days to Rick. E10 will have exact figures for strikes generally to hand, I expect.

Rick- do the NUT mean official strike days only?

Meanwhile, disappointingly predictable regress on the selection front in Ultonia.

[Eggchaser]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

I thought the callers/texters to radio 5 going "Why don't they strike on an INSET (spelling?) day so they don't incovenience anyone!" were missing the point of going out on strike in an almost charming manner.

Plus, no one really paid attention to all the other strikes; all we got was we've got to stay at home looking after the little sods, how dare they complain, cushy job, three months off, etc, etc.

[Guest]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

I've never understood why the 'cushy job' argument seems to be so resistent to reasoned argument. I worked as a teacher for a year, and my working week was generally 56-60 hours. I worked through most holidays. And I was paid below the national graduate average.

Where is the cush in that lot?

[Eggchaser]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

It's cos the kids stop at 3.00 and you get the summer holidays off.

Stands to reason you do no work in that time, you lazy leftie bastard.

[cantagalo]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

A quick word for my former colleagues in Further Education who were also on strike yesterday, although you probably wouldn't have realised it from the media.

Rather than a strike every couple of decades, for FE lecturers this is an annual event as they try to make some inroads into what has become up to a 30% pay gap with schoolteachers. The gap has arisen since FE Colleges were incorporated in 1993 and the fate of FE lecturers is a salutary lesson to schoolteachers on the importance of maintaining national pay bargaining.

[Guest]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

National pay bargaining... that'd be the system we're busy dismantling in HE, right? Such a very brilliant idea.

[DCI Harry Batt]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

I was on a UCU picket line first thing yesterday, and the main chappie there made exactly that point to one of his kids - what on earth would be the point of striking when it's convenient?

[E10 Rifle]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

Interesting to note that the cuddly and enlightened Lib Dem education spokesman thinks teachers should have a no-strike agreement imposed on them. They really are such wankers (the Lib Dems that is, not teachers).

[DCI Harry Batt]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

Scratch a Liberal...

[Kowalski]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

Despite the fact I'm in School 4 days a week and a College for the other day I somehow managed to miss both strikes.

I only work in the College on a Thursday so I missed the strike as it was on a Wednesday. I missed the strike last week as I was in the College.

At least I didn't break the picket line.

[Wyatt Earp]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

Would you have? If you don't mind me asking? I'm assuming you're a student, and I don't think students should be blamed for attending (because senior management can put them under real pressure), but on the rare occasions you get students arriving, saying, "Right, I'm not crossing," and walking away, I find I could hug the lovely little lefties.

[Kowalski]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

I'm a teacher and I wouldn't have crossed the line.

[Tubby Isaacs]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

A naive question (and quite possibly one which won't work at all, seeing the computer just rejected my last post) but is there not something to be said for local bargaining?

Local teachers can put local government under pressure, probably more than a national government. You'd get presssure to pay more in areas with higher cost of living. Union activism (NUT, not the others who seem to be welfare organisations) might go up as the chance of having an effect on pay would be much higher. It would also be nice to see some Downing Street nonsense like academies being challenged by a strike in an area affected by it. I can't see that happening so much at a national level.

[Wyatt Earp]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

Am I misreading you, Tubby, or are you calling for the NUT to strike, illegally, over issues unconnected with pay, conditions or dismissals? I'm not against the idea necessarily (though it's pretty high-risk given the nature of anti-Union legislation) but I'm slightly surprised you're pro...

[Eggchaser]

So, no thread about the teachers' strike then

TonTon wrote:

Scratch a Liberal...

and I'll go, "Mmmm, thank you, I had an itch there."