Pensions, workload and stress – Vote to strike in EIS ballot

The EIS, the biggest education union in Scotland,  is to ballot its members on the prospect of further industrial action should current negotiations with the Scottish Government on pensions fail to reach agreement. The teachers union had held back from industrial action, following the mass strike on N30 2011, after assurances from the Scottish Government about entering into meaningful discussions.

However, it became clear very quickly that they had no such intention of being seriously involved in this as they blocked discussions and cancelled meetings at short notice.

It was, as suggested by many teachers and lecturers, a cynical and well-worn tactic by a disingenuous Government to derail industrial action after teachers voted overwhelmingly in favour last March.

Teachers attempts to negotiate in good faith have been spurned by an SNP administration that has continued to implement savage ConDem cuts on workers and their families throughout Scotland.

Their decision to impose increased pension contributions on teaching professionals for the second year in succession, which amount to little more than an additional tax to pay for the UK Government’s austerity programme, has meant that the leadership of the EIS has been forced to react to the groundswell of anger felt by teachers and lecturers in schools and colleges throughout the country.

At the same time the Scottish Government is charging ahead with the underfunded “Curriculum for Excellence” which has increased the workload and stress of the ordinary classroom teacher (see article below) who, if the Tory Government at Westminster and their SNP puppets in Holyrood get their way, will have to retire at the age of 68.

Clearly, we are living too long for our well healed, privately educated, tax avoiding masters. If we could see our way to “calling it a day” round about the age of 70 that would fit in nicely with their pension plans.

The idea of teachers still teaching at the age of 68 beggars belief.

This new ballot for industrial action will likely produce an overwhelming “YES” vote. It is for the leadership of the EIS to lead a decisive campaign among the membership. A successful ballot result should be followed by the naming of the day for a national one-day strike of all EIS members, this should be coordinated with other unions, if possible, who are taking action.

Preparation for strike action is now essential if we are to defeat the Governments of “big business” in Westminster and Holyrood. The time for discussion is over.

Cuts mean increased stress and workload

The  Con-Dem cuts implemented by local authorities are already having a devastating effect  on education and it’s frightening to imagine the impact of further cuts to an already underfunded sector. 

Many local authorities have chosen to implement the cuts by reducing spending on staffing. There are a number of strategies being used: not replacing teachers who leave, offering less permanent posts, continually employing probationers, increasing class sizes and teaching bi- level classes.

All of these things have a real impact on the remaining staff and pupils. My school has not replaced a number of key staff over the last couple of years which has led to a general sense amongst us of being stretched  to our  absolute limits. 

The majority of my colleagues are now on the minimum amount of non-contact time which equates to no time during school hours for preparation and marking, which then has to be done at night or on weekends. 

My personal life has definitely been affected by this increased workload.

Pupils are also affected by tired, over worked teachers and larger classes. Many may not be able to take the subjects they want or need  as  Higher and Advanced Higher classes can’t run unless there are a minimum amount of pupils in each class.

One department significantly affected by cuts in staffing across Scotland is Additional Support for Learning. Perhaps it’s considered non-essential to support our most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils? 

In my school, three support staff have left in the last year and have not been replaced. This has led to difficult choices having to be made about which pupils will be supported and which will be left to struggle.

The most hurtful thing about the current situation in the public sector is that we are being asked to do so much more and are being rewarded by receiving less. Scotland is in the middle of implementing a radical curriculum overhaul with introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence.

We are all frantically creating and evaluating new courses and preparing for the new national qualifications due to start next year. 

The government appears to be invested in this and yet has not funded its implementation or created the conditions which will allow it to flourish.

Instead they are expecting that exhausted teachers will somehow make it happen. The prevailing attitude amongst teachers is that of despair, many questing how they are going to achieve these additional demands and still teach our current pupils.

It’s vital that our union, the EIS, launches a major campaign on these issues and prepares for national strike action coordinated with other unions also fighting cuts.