ASTI threaten strike action

Benicetomonty

hardybuck wrote: »

The nurses got fantastic support from the public and have huge admiration from them - and it made all the difference recently.

No sane person would ever have a problem with nurses being paid more. And the papers know it. Any sustained negativity would probably see people boycott offending publications.

What upset me as a teacher was that the nurses signed up to the PPSA, which bound them to industrial peace for its duration, and went on strike anyway. Were they subjected to penalties under FEMPI? Like heck they were. Nope, they got more or less what they wanted. Because the govt, like the papers, know exactly how people wouldve responded if they hadv imposed financial penalties.

The ASTI on the other hand went on strike for a most justifiable cause, pay equality, and were destroyed by the media at every opportunity. To add insult to injury, they were savaged by FEMPI even though they didnt even sign up to the PPSA. Open and shut favouritism in the treatment of unions.

And people like you had no idea about any of this. Partly because of how astonishingly under reported it was and remains. But mostly because you dont want to know. Because teachers are fair game. Their jobs cant compare to nurses. They only educate our youth.

Chilli Con Kearney

portbilly wrote: »

Let's call a spade a spade here, I firmly believe in equal pay for equal work, especially younger graduates, hopefully motivated to impart knowledge, and educate our young. The elephant in the room here is that older teachers sold out younger colleagues when during the crisis they said fair enough we'll keep what we have and to hell with the younger graduates, a common Public Service attitude (I believe nurses were the only group who didn't sell out to the same extent.). The public service in general and teaching unions in particular need to realise that the cake (public purse is only so big). It's morally unjust that a teacher can retire after 40 years, massive lump sum, and earn more from pension than younger teacher starting out coping with accomodation, rent, mortgage, childcare Etc. Don't say that teachers have paid for these pensions a tiny % compared to the external market value of these pension pots. I hate to be bashing teachers a good teacher is worth their weight in gold, a bad teacher a (I can't post) but it's my children's future. Of course the unions say there are no bad teachers. In the private sector well run companies strive for 10% attrition rate based on poor performance not so in the public service get increments and then cry when maxed out. As you can ascertain I work in the private sector lucky to still have a job during this C9 crisis, my pension pot-my own contributions no company contributions decimated in the last 2 weeks. Please don't post {should have been a teacher rhetoric it's so unimaginative and smug} Any teachers / Unions out there offer to help with contact tracing ??

I'm going to stop you there man. If you are going to wade in, at least get the facts right.

The teaching unions signed up to a collective agreement, which included no lay offs of staff, redeployment panels, additional pension related deductions, additional hours for meetings and planning as well as no entitlement to industrial action for the lifetime of the agreement.

After this, the government unilaterally changed the pay scales for new entrants and the unions/teachers could do nothing about it as the agreement had been signed.

That is what happened. I didn't like the agreement at the time, because of the lack of scope for industrial action. It says a lot about a government when they enforce rules like that, its very anti-worker. But hey, the majority of union members voted for it and so on we went

But that's not sexy enough, it doesn't sell papers or generate headlines, or give click bait for the lads commenting on the journal (frothing from the mouth at the chance to drag teachers over the coals again) or neighbours who can't wait to mention it to you about you selling their niece/nephew/son/daughter who is starting out in teaching down the river (as you said) or your mates from the private sector who just can't ever get past the "June, July and August" argument. But it IS what happened whether you like it or not. So please inform yourself before calling spades spades. Sometimes, just sometimes, it gets annoying hearing it again and again and abloodygain.