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Two of EI’s affiliates, the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT), have criticised a survey released by the UK polling organisation, Populus.

Commenting on the survey of parents released on 24 July by Populus, NUT General Secretary and President of the EI Region, the European Trade Union Committee for Education, Christine Blower said: “What the poll in fact shows is that those supporting and those not supporting strike action are very nearly equals. Parents and the general public are very aware of the pressures that teachers are under and are also very aware that it is only when the profession feels they truly have no alternative to protect teachers and defend education that they will take this course of action.”

She went on to say that Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove has completely lost the confidence of the profession and “it is about time he started listening to the profession for the sake of the education of our children”.

NUT: teachers under attack

Blower also stated that teachers have been left with no option other than to take industrial action in the face of the continuing onslaught on their pay, pensions and working conditions and the refusal of this Government to enter into any meaningful negotiations.

“The Government’s proposals are about cutting the salaries of the majority of teachers, not rewarding them for the work they do,” she emphasised. “Teaching is a collaborative exercise and all evidence points to the fact that selecting a few teachers to gain salary advantage at the expense of the many undermines, not enhances, standards and will damage morale still further. There are already provisions for withholding salary progression where teachers are under-performing and the consistent attacks by this Government on the high quality of teaching that is delivered by the overwhelming majority of teachers every day in schools is a disgrace.”

The Government’s decision to abolish national pay scales and expect 25,000 individual schools to spend time negotiating pay arrangements instead of concentrating on the real job of delivering the best for their pupils is deplorable and was neither asked for nor welcomed by those who run and work within them, she added.

NASUWT: Government’s misuse of poll results leads to teacher action

“It is deeply disappointing that the Secretary of State for Education is once again engaged in criticising and vilifying teachers,” said NASUWT General Secretary Chris Keates, reacting to a speech by Gove at an event hosted by Populus.

“The Populus opinion pollsters, who have given a platform to the Secretary of State, have simply failed to grasp the reality of pay and performance management practice in schools. The plain fact is that teachers’ pay is already linked to performance and this has been the case for many years.”

Keates stressed that strike action by teachers would not be necessary if ministers were willing to engage in genuine dialogue with the NASUWT and NUT on changes being made to teachers’ terms and conditions of service.

She also said: “We have made clear to ministers that we stand ready to engage in discussions. It is unfortunate that the Secretary of State does not recognise the urgency of the situation. Instead of engaging in continuing game-playing, the Secretary of State should make time to seek to resolve this dispute and avoid further escalation of industrial action.”

EI: teachers’ right to collective bargaining must be respected

EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen said that EI strongly supports “our UK colleagues in their ongoing struggle to see their Government respect teachers’ right to engage in collective bargaining. We urge the public authorities to consult with teachers’ professional organisations to ensure quality education for everyone in the country.”