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Teachers walk out on strike
1:19pm Thursday 24th April 2008
THOUSANDS of school pupils spent the day at home today as teachers across Bolton walked out on strike.
A day of industrial action forced the closure of 43 schools across the borough, with a further 23 partially affected.
The teachers, all members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) walked out in a row over pay.
They claim a series of below-inflation wage rises over the last few years have led to a real-terms pay cut.
Pickets were staged at Haywood School in Lever Edge Lane, Great Lever, and outside Bolton Community College, where staff were staging a separate strike over pay.
Andi Peters, a history teacher at Haywood School, said: "It's a shame it had to come to this. The pay offer is ridiculous and we were left with no choice but to take strike action. We've had a lot of support from parents and pupils."
A rally, attended by almost 200 teachers, was held in the lecture theatre at Bolton Library.
Ian Parkinson, president of the NUT in Bolton, said: "We are here because we care about society, about our children and about our future society as well as ourselves. It makes me so sad when I think about the Labour mantra education, education, education'."
NUT leaders say the three-year deal of 2.45 per cent from September and rises of 2.3 per cent in subsequent years, which has been offered to teachers, is a pay cut.
Your Say Yourtheboltonnews
Anti-PC, Bury says...
2:57pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Mr Cooper, Derbyshire says...
3:06pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Mr Cooper, Derbyshire says...
3:10pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Electronic photoframe
DVD 'board games'
Lights in your trainers
Anyone else think of best pointless inventions?
My laptop doesn't count.
Mr Cooper, Derbyshire says...
3:11pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Tommy, says...
3:28pm Thu 24 Apr 08
You can only do so much with chalk and a blackboard.
Mr Cooper, Derbyshire says...
3:51pm Thu 24 Apr 08
That's that one put to bed.
Right let's crack on with sorting out this credit crunch business.
IWillShareTheTruth, Cyberspace says...
3:52pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Judging by some of the unwashed miscreants who attend that place, to call these people "teachers", is frankly laughable. I was unfortunate enough to live near that school for a while, teachers were not interested when I complained about pupils behaviour.
If teaching is so poorly paid, get a job in the real world!
Kay, says...
4:24pm Thu 24 Apr 08
P.S. will people ever learn not to make disrespectful comments on these pages. Comments have been suspended once because of this. Please keep those kind of comments to yourselves and stick to the topic in hand. Thank you
Ali, says...
5:29pm Thu 24 Apr 08
chas, suffolk says...
5:30pm Thu 24 Apr 08
IWillShareTheTruth, Cyberspace says...
6:41pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Kay wrote:I've read these comments Kay and which ones are disrespectful? People are entitled to their opinions aren't they?
I work in a school and I see how hard the teachers work at planning their work to differentiate for all the ability groups. This is on top of the ever changing curriculum that the government keeps changing every few years and all the assessing and observing that is required. Teachers deserve a much higher pay rise than they are being offered. P.S. will people ever learn not to make disrespectful comments on these pages. Comments have been suspended once because of this. Please keep those kind of comments to yourselves and stick to the topic in hand. Thank you
I have no time for teachers, I could name and shame many on here, but it would be liablous to do so.
I reiterate my earlier point - if the money paid is not deemed good enough, go and work in private industry!
My wife is a nurse and what they get paid is worse than teachers, but you do not seem that profession striking and causing misery for parents. I am not a parent myself, but even I think it stinks that teachers can cause mass inconvenience.
billyboy, bolton says...
9:08pm Thu 24 Apr 08
billyboy, bolton says...
9:10pm Thu 24 Apr 08
abbott71, bolton says...
9:19pm Thu 24 Apr 08
teachers are striking because they are under paid,the same as every other public sector worker.....from teachers to Police officers..... i have no doubt that someone will write"well if you dont like it get a different job!"what i would say to that person is can you do the public service jobs....????teachers
,nurses,fire,ambulan
ce,police...armed force????i do and all i ask is to paid a respectable wage for what i do!
the same as every other worker in the country........
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
9:52pm Thu 24 Apr 08
chas wrote:Chas, your obvious lack of education is a more convincing argument than anything I have heard from the teachers today.
There are plenty of well educated eastern Europeans, who would do the job for half the wage.
billyboy, bolton says...
9:54pm Thu 24 Apr 08
billyboy, bolton says...
9:56pm Thu 24 Apr 08
billyboy, bolton says...
10:00pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:01pm Thu 24 Apr 08
IWillShareTheTruth wrote:One or two simple questions. How did you learn to read? Who taught you this fairly important skill? Is it fair that the person who taught you to do that gets paid so little? If teachers all 'go and work in private industry' who will educate the next generation? I could go on but you obviously want to live in a world in which someone who works night and day to educate people, is valued less than someone who (for example) sells you a mobile phone. If your 'naming and shaming' is true, how could it be liablous? If teaching is such a doddle, why do 50% of new teachers quit in the first 3 years?
Kay wrote: I work in a school and I see how hard the teachers work at planning their work to differentiate for all the ability groups. This is on top of the ever changing curriculum that the government keeps changing every few years and all the assessing and observing that is required. Teachers deserve a much higher pay rise than they are being offered. P.S. will people ever learn not to make disrespectful comments on these pages. Comments have been suspended once because of this. Please keep those kind of comments to yourselves and stick to the topic in hand. Thank youI've read these comments Kay and which ones are disrespectful? People are entitled to their opinions aren't they? I have no time for teachers, I could name and shame many on here, but it would be liablous to do so. I reiterate my earlier point - if the money paid is not deemed good enough, go and work in private industry! My wife is a nurse and what they get paid is worse than teachers, but you do not seem that profession striking and causing misery for parents. I am not a parent myself, but even I think it stinks that teachers can cause mass inconvenience.
chas, suffolk says...
10:05pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Lancashire73 wrote:So you know all about my education. My son is a plumber and eastern Europeans have come over here, pinching the jobs of English plumbers and builders, by taking less pay.
chas wrote: There are plenty of well educated eastern Europeans, who would do the job for half the wage.Chas, your obvious lack of education is a more convincing argument than anything I have heard from the teachers today.
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:08pm Thu 24 Apr 08
chas wrote:What is your point?
Lancashire73 wrote:So you know all about my education. My son is a plumber and eastern Europeans have come over here, pinching the jobs of English plumbers and builders, by taking less pay.chas wrote: There are plenty of well educated eastern Europeans, who would do the job for half the wage.Chas, your obvious lack of education is a more convincing argument than anything I have heard from the teachers today.
chas, suffolk says...
10:13pm Thu 24 Apr 08
I would have thought that even a teacher could work that out.
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:17pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Sun Tzu, says...
10:19pm Thu 24 Apr 08
As the cost of living increases by the week, many people are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.
Teachers on average are getting £33,000pa. This is more than a living wage. If they can't get by on this they are overspending. Many lower paid workers are struggling to pay escalating fuel bills and housing costs. If these increases are paid for by an increase in tax some of these people will find themselves in danger of losing their homes in order to keep teachers in a style they have become accustomed to.
chas, suffolk says...
10:21pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:26pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Sun Tzu wrote:Point 1: Your average teacher does not get 33K - fact. Point 2: My local GP gets 100K.(My taxes pay for that too). Point 3: Ever heard the saying - pay peaunts, get monkeys? Does it bother anyone that we are talking about cutting corners with education. We are talking about lives - it is not the same as putting tins on shelves, it has got to be done correctly.
How do teachers and other public sector workers expect other hard pressed tax payers to find these increases? As the cost of living increases by the week, many people are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Teachers on average are getting £33,000pa. This is more than a living wage. If they can't get by on this they are overspending. Many lower paid workers are struggling to pay escalating fuel bills and housing costs. If these increases are paid for by an increase in tax some of these people will find themselves in danger of losing their homes in order to keep teachers in a style they have become accustomed to.
chas, suffolk says...
10:32pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Mid-career average salary for a nurse £26,110
· Mid career average salary for firefighter £27,876
· Mid career average salary for police officer £35,578
· Mid career average salary for a teacher £33,361
Sun Tzu, says...
10:36pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Lancashire73 wrote:Newly qualified teachers are paid between 20k and 30k headteachers can be paid as much as 100k even the lowest paid are on more than the average for Bolton.
Sun Tzu wrote:Point 1: Your average teacher does not get 33K - fact. Point 2: My local GP gets 100K.(My taxes pay for that too). Point 3: Ever heard the saying - pay peaunts, get monkeys? Does it bother anyone that we are talking about cutting corners with education. We are talking about lives - it is not the same as putting tins on shelves, it has got to be done correctly.
How do teachers and other public sector workers expect other hard pressed tax payers to find these increases? As the cost of living increases by the week, many people are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Teachers on average are getting £33,000pa. This is more than a living wage. If they can't get by on this they are overspending. Many lower paid workers are struggling to pay escalating fuel bills and housing costs. If these increases are paid for by an increase in tax some of these people will find themselves in danger of losing their homes in order to keep teachers in a style they have become accustomed to.
Good teachers are good teachers regardless of what they are paid.
If anything too much has been plowed into education under Labour. They have used further education as a way to keep unemployment figures down. I suspect a lot of teaching posts will disappear completely as our economy goes down the pan.
Teachers need to wake up and smell the coffee. It makes no difference what a person thinks they are worth if the money ain't there to pay then they aren't worth it.
Simple economics lessons for teachers might be in order I think.
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:37pm Thu 24 Apr 08
chas wrote:This figure includes all teachers who are not Headteachers or Deputy Headteachers. So, this includes people who are heads of departments, heads of year, etc. Not your average teacher. Unlucky.
Guardian 2007. Mid-career average salary for a nurse £26,110 · Mid career average salary for firefighter £27,876 · Mid career average salary for police officer £35,578 · Mid career average salary for a teacher £33,361
Sun Tzu, says...
10:39pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Lancashire73 wrote:20k - 30k for newly qualified teachers. It's not minimum wage.
chas wrote:This figure includes all teachers who are not Headteachers or Deputy Headteachers. So, this includes people who are heads of departments, heads of year, etc. Not your average teacher. Unlucky.
Guardian 2007. Mid-career average salary for a nurse £26,110 · Mid career average salary for firefighter £27,876 · Mid career average salary for police officer £35,578 · Mid career average salary for a teacher £33,361
chas, suffolk says...
10:42pm Thu 24 Apr 08
If you want more money why don't you try harder. Instead of being average, work harder and become head of year or head of department and then look higher.
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:44pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Sun Tzu wrote:If you don't value the job that teachers do, who should be paid well in our society? I'd prefer my kids to be taught by someone highly skilled. Believe it not highly skilled people will not work as teachers if industry offers them tens of thousands more - nice thought but they won't and I don't blame them.
Lancashire73 wrote:20k - 30k for newly qualified teachers. It's not minimum wage.chas wrote: Guardian 2007. Mid-career average salary for a nurse £26,110 · Mid career average salary for firefighter £27,876 · Mid career average salary for police officer £35,578 · Mid career average salary for a teacher £33,361This figure includes all teachers who are not Headteachers or Deputy Headteachers. So, this includes people who are heads of departments, heads of year, etc. Not your average teacher. Unlucky.
Sun Tzu, says...
10:48pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Lancashire73 wrote:Our country is facing an economic crisis. You are public sector workers if you get more money then it has to come out of someone elses pocket.
Sun Tzu wrote:If you don't value the job that teachers do, who should be paid well in our society? I'd prefer my kids to be taught by someone highly skilled. Believe it not highly skilled people will not work as teachers if industry offers them tens of thousands more - nice thought but they won't and I don't blame them.
Lancashire73 wrote:20k - 30k for newly qualified teachers. It's not minimum wage.chas wrote: Guardian 2007. Mid-career average salary for a nurse £26,110 · Mid career average salary for firefighter £27,876 · Mid career average salary for police officer £35,578 · Mid career average salary for a teacher £33,361This figure includes all teachers who are not Headteachers or Deputy Headteachers. So, this includes people who are heads of departments, heads of year, etc. Not your average teacher. Unlucky.
It's time to wake up just as others have had to do. I know tradesmen who served four year apprenticeships who are only being offered minimum wage. Do you want them servicing your car?
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:51pm Thu 24 Apr 08
chas wrote:I'm not a teacher. However, teachers would not have to 'look higher' if they got paid appropriately. Good teachers should be in classes - managers should manage. I just think it is sad that people commit their lives to teaching our kids and if they ask for an inflation level rise, they get backlash.
Lancashire73 If you want more money why don't you try harder. Instead of being average, work harder and become head of year or head of department and then look higher.
chas, suffolk says...
10:59pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Teachers should 'look higher' if they want more pay and not to expect the same wage as more senior teachers. The majority of workers in this country are getting lower than inflation rises this year.
Kay, says...
11:00pm Thu 24 Apr 08
For all of you who thinks it's such a doddle, you should try it for a few days. You'd soon change your mind when you have 36 8 year olds wanting constant attention for 6hours each day. Most of you wouldn't last the day, these people do it day in, day out for the good of the children, no matter who they are or where they are from.
If it wasn't for good teachers, there wouldn't be any education children leaving school to do the jobs your'e doing now (if you have a job!).
A good teacher gives good education which gives our children a great start in life. Don't under estimate what they do.
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
11:04pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Kay, says...
11:04pm Thu 24 Apr 08
chas, suffolk says...
11:06pm Thu 24 Apr 08
I know many teachers that work until the school is locked at 6pm and still take work home to mark and plan for the next day.Some may, many don't.
For all of you who thinks it's such a doddle, you should try it for a few daysThat could be said for many jobs ie working in a factory, fruit picking and so on.
Kay, says...
11:10pm Thu 24 Apr 08
chas, suffolk says...
11:16pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Andrew, Bury says...
9:33am Fri 25 Apr 08
With respect Chas, fruit pickers et al do not incur such huge debt to become qualified for their job.
The issue of student debt is of wider importance mind you.
chas, suffolk says...
9:58am Fri 25 Apr 08
Sun Tzu, says...
10:25am Fri 25 Apr 08
Andrew wrote:If we take your rough figures for a student loan as an example, then they would pay 1.3K pa towards their loan. Taken from an average of 33k pa it still puts them streets ahead of many other workers.
Newly qualified teacher interviewed in paper today noting that it might take 20+ years to pay off a £16,000 student debt which is accruing interest at £500 a year.
With respect Chas, fruit pickers et al do not incur such huge debt to become qualified for their job.
The issue of student debt is of wider importance mind you.
All still have to pay the same prices for fuel, food, ect, ect.
If our economy was booming and on the up then yes, maybe a case could be made for rewarding teachers with higher pay.
However, at present this isn't the case and now after many years of irresponsible money management by government, financial institutions and the people. The time has now arrived to pay the piper.
It's the wrong time to be asking for over the top pay increases. Especialy when those pay increases will be paid for by other taxpayers who are stuggling to make ends meet.
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
10:56am Fri 25 Apr 08
chas wrote:Still going Chas? Is Dave busy?(rabbit, rabbit..)Bothered you hasn't it? I love this comparison between fruit pickers and teaching- inspired. You are obviously someone who spends lots of time in schools because your knowledge is second to none. What is all this knowledge based on? Daily Mail? The Sun?
Fruit pickers incur debts getting over to this country and are pressured into paying huge sums for living expenses, travelling expenses and paying back their debts. Compared to fruit pickers, teachers have an easy life.
chas, suffolk says...
11:18am Fri 25 Apr 08
If you are not a teacher, then why are you bothered. Wife not paying her way? I base all my knowledge from the Daily Sport.
John Gov, Bolton says...
12:41pm Fri 25 Apr 08
chas wrote:And it shows.
Lancashire73 If you are not a teacher, then why are you bothered. Wife not paying her way? I base all my knowledge from the Daily Sport.
chas, suffolk says...
1:12pm Fri 25 Apr 08
The Daily Sport taught me not to begin a sentence with 'And'.
Lancashire73, Bolton says...
8:53pm Fri 25 Apr 08
chas wrote:Daily Sport didn't teach you how to use a question mark.
Lancashire73 If you are not a teacher, then why are you bothered. Wife not paying her way? I base all my knowledge from the Daily Sport.
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Mr Cooper, Derbyshire says...
2:40pm Thu 24 Apr 08
Still, if Teaching is attracting ex-television superstars such as Andi Peters, it can't be all bad.