July 11th- Eastbourne on Strike

Eastbourne trade unionists joined over a million colleagues in strike action, against the attacks on pay, conditions and pensions from the coalition Government.

The majority of schools  in Eastbourne were either fully closed, or severely limited, as NUT teachers joined support staff from Unison and GMB.  PCS members walked out at the DWP/Job Centre, local government staff from Unison and GMB took action- with picket lines at St Mark and St Mary's House, and firefighters at Eastbourne Fire Station took action against absurd proposals to make them work to 60 (or be sacked on medical grounds before)

Representatives from Eastbourne Trades Council proudly carried our banner in a mass march in Brighton and Hove, where over 3,000 people took to the streets.

NUT and NASUWT to strike tomorrow

Members of the NUT and the NASUWT teacher unions, who together represent 9 out of 10 teachers, are both in dispute with the Government. The failure of the Government to enter into meaningful talks aimed at reaching agreement is now leading to strike action.

These disputes cover:

• Excessive workload and bureaucracy;
• Cuts and other changes to teachers’ pay;
• Adverse changes to their pensions;
• Job cuts.

Teachers are deeply concerned about the impact these imposed changes are having on the morale of the teaching profession, the recruitment and retention of teachers and on the provision of quality education for pupils. The NUT and the NASUWT are asking the Government to enter into genuine talks to resolve this dispute.

Members of the NUT and the NASUWT teacher unions have been engaged in jointly co-ordinated industrial action short of strike. This action by our members has been designed to enable teachers to focus on the job of teaching and to prevent a crisis in the teaching profession which could have devastating consequences for our schools.

However, the Secretary of State for Education is continuing to make changes to teachers’ pay, pensions and conditions of service that are not supported by teachers and are making it much harder for schools to recruit and retain good teachers. The Secretary of State for Education is refusing to engage in genuine talks with the NUT and the NASUWT about teachers’ concerns, despite numerous requests by both unions.

Teachers deeply regret the disruption caused by strike action. However, the Government’s refusal to engage to resolve the dispute means that they have no alternative other than to demonstrate to the Government the seriousness of their concerns.

Most Eastbourne schools will be shut tomorrow, as staff take this unfortunate but necessary action in defence of our profession.

Are You Working for Free ?

The government's own statisticians, the Office of National Statistics, has revealed that British workers are undertaking £29 billion of unpaid overtime each year. The TUC has used the figures to estimate that a record 5.26 million people worked unpaid overtime last year, worth £28.9bn to the UK economy.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

"These figures shine a light on the valuable but too often unrewarded extra hours that UK workers put in every week. Employers should do more to recognise the unpaid overtime that their staff do, which contributes £29bn to the UK economy every year.

But while average hours are falling across the economy - both as a result of the recession and changes in working practices - UK workers are still doing the third longest shifts in Europe, with only Austrians and Greeks working longer. Smarter working practises and an end to pointless presenteeism would help make staff more productive and get a better work-life balance."

The TUC promotes Work your Proper Hours Day every year- you can read more at the website here.