The National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) have gone on strike as part of their continuous action to seek decent living and working conditions for teachers.
Marches and rallies took place on 17 October in the North East Government region, Cumbria, London, South East and South West Government regions.
“Teachers deeply regret the disruption caused to parents and teachers by this strike action,” said Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary and President of EI’s European region, the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE). “The Government’s refusal, however, to engage to resolve the dispute over pay, pensions, job cuts and workload means that they [teachers] have no alternative other than to demonstrate the seriousness of their concerns.”
The NUT and NASUWT continue to seek talks with the Education Secretary, and teachers feel upset and angry about the continual undermining of their profession, she added.
It really is time that Government listened, she stressed.
EI: Government must engage
“We support our UK affiliates and encourage them to stay firm in the face of a stubborn government,” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “Public authorities, in the UK and worldwide, must come to their senses and understand that they bear the responsibility to guarantee free, quality public education for their societies’ sustainable future.”