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Video - College lecturer Leighton Evans explains why the union members are striking.
Teachers strike across Somerset
April 25
MORE than 3,300 children were turned away from school yesterday (Thurs) and hundreds more did not attend lessons as teachers took industrial action.
Seven North Somerset schools were shut and students in certain year groups at 11 other schools were affected by teaching strikes.
Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the University and College Union (UCU) were protesting at numerous locations, including outside Weston College, over pay rises.
The union, which has about 830 members in North Somerset, wants the 2.45 per cent pay rise for 2008 lifted at least above the inflation rate, which is thought to be around 4.1 per cent.
Before his sudden death on April 5, NUT general secretary Steve Sinnott said: "The consequences of real term pay are familiar to us. They were a feature of the 'boom and bust' years before 1997. In that period, schools suffered from recruitment and retention problems. There were teacher shortages and morale was low.
"The NUT does not want to return to the bad old days.
"To bring the best young graduates into the profession, teachers' salaries need to be competitive with those in the private sector. Our children deserve the best." |
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Tina Roberts explains how it affects her job as a college lecturer
But the news has not been well-received by North Somerset's executive member for children and young people's services, Councillor Jeremy Blatchford.
He said: "Government advertisements tell us how well-paid teachers are and unions claim the opposite. Who is right?
"Schools are not involved in the negotiating process so a strike is senseless. It will harm parents who have to take time off and damage education.
"Government and unions persistently miss the key issue. The nation invests heavily in training professional teachers then micromanages them. This factor alone is responsible for the shortage of teachers."
College lecturers have also voted to strike to support demands to bring their pay up to that of school teachers.
Schools affected by the strikes:
Teachers in the North Somerset area joined a march in Bristol from Castle Green to College Green. |
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College lecturere Gill Wilmot says the public should support the strike |
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