‘NUT members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the campaign to stop cuts in the real pay of teachers,’ Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers said yesterday.
He added: ‘NUT members have voted 3:1 in favour of industrial action on April 24 2008.
He added: ‘NUT members have voted 3:1 in favour of industrial action on April 24 2008.
‘The government is wrong to determine a pay increase for teachers below the rate of inflation.
‘The rate of inflation is presently 4.1 per cent and teachers will receive for 2008 2.45 per cent.
‘The consequences of real term pay cuts are familiar to us. They were a feature of the “boom and bust” years before 1997.
‘In that period schools suffered from recruitment and retention problems – there were teacher shortages and morale was low.
‘The NUT wants no return to those bad old days.
‘To bring the best young graduates into the profession, teachers’ salaries need to be competitive with those for graduates in the private sector.
‘Our children deserve the best.
‘Young teachers need to be treated fairly.
‘Paying them at levels which are not competitive with those of other graduate professions and making them unable to take even their first step on the housing ladder will damage recruitment.
‘Teachers will wish to play their part in ensuring that young people are encouraged to become members of the best and most important of all the professions.
‘I call on the government to think again and ensure that salaries at least keep pay in line with inflation and that there is a recognition of the continuing workload pressures on teachers.’
• Second news story
POSTAL WORKERS REJECT PENSION CUTS
Postal workers yesterday overwhelmingly rejected Royal Mail’s pension changes in a Communication Workers Union (CWU) consultative ballot of 140,000 members.
Ninety two per cent of CWU respondents voted to reject Royal Mail’s pension changes.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: ‘The result of this ballot clearly demonstrates that Royal Mail’s pension consultation was a sham.
‘We’re now calling on Royal Mail to stop acting in undue haste and to discuss with the CWU how to solve the pension problem facing the company.
‘After the last year of unrest Royal Mail needs to take the workforce along with them in this major change to postal workers’ terms and conditions.
‘With such overwhelming opposition to their plans, if Royal Mail can’t find an acceptable solution with the CWU, industrial action will be inevitable.’
The CWU ballot result follows Royal Mail managers’ rejection of the pension changes two weeks ago.
With Royal Mail managers represented by Unite, the two unions are discussing a joint approach to industrial action, should Royal Mail refuse to enter into meaningful discussions.
