Members of an education union have voted to accept higher wages, but I have to ask, is this pay deal for teachers legitimate?
I ask this because of the decision by the National Education Union to accept a 5.5 per cent pay deal offered by the Labour government.
The poll was sent to 300,000 union members, of whom 41 per cent voted; of those who voted, 95 per cent accepted the deal.
That’s 38.95 per cent of the members who were polled, or 116,850 people.
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I ask if it is legitimate because, if a union was polling its members on whether to go on strike, at least 50 per cent of members would have to participate in the vote, and a majority of those voting would have to be in favour. For important public services – and I think teaching is one of those – at least 40 per cent of all eligible members must be in favour of striking.
There seems to be a big difference between the numbers need to vote for a strike and those for accepting a pay deal, and that doesn’t strike me as right.
In fairness, the NEU’s general secretary, Daniel Kebede, has pointed out that teachers have lost a quarter of their pay – in real terms – under the cruel Conservative governments of the last 14 years. He said this agreement is just the first step in a major pay correction that is needed now.
He said,
“Teacher pay in England was cut by around a quarter in real terms under the Conservatives and is significantly lower than it is in Scotland. This is unsustainable.
“Without a major pay correction to restore the competitiveness of teacher pay, the desire to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis promised by today’s Government remit letter to the School Teachers’ Review Body will come up short.”
If Bridget Phillipson takes these words to heart and ensures that teacher pay is brought back up to 2010 levels, then This Writer will be happy with the decision that has just been made.
If not… well, we’re used to being betrayed by our politicians. But I think we’re also sick of it. Aren’t we?
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Is this pay deal for teachers legitimate?
Members of an education union have voted to accept higher wages, but I have to ask, is this pay deal for teachers legitimate?
I ask this because of the decision by the National Education Union to accept a 5.5 per cent pay deal offered by the Labour government.
The poll was sent to 300,000 union members, of whom 41 per cent voted; of those who voted, 95 per cent accepted the deal.
That’s 38.95 per cent of the members who were polled, or 116,850 people.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
I ask if it is legitimate because, if a union was polling its members on whether to go on strike, at least 50 per cent of members would have to participate in the vote, and a majority of those voting would have to be in favour. For important public services – and I think teaching is one of those – at least 40 per cent of all eligible members must be in favour of striking.
There seems to be a big difference between the numbers need to vote for a strike and those for accepting a pay deal, and that doesn’t strike me as right.
In fairness, the NEU’s general secretary, Daniel Kebede, has pointed out that teachers have lost a quarter of their pay – in real terms – under the cruel Conservative governments of the last 14 years. He said this agreement is just the first step in a major pay correction that is needed now.
He said,
If Bridget Phillipson takes these words to heart and ensures that teacher pay is brought back up to 2010 levels, then This Writer will be happy with the decision that has just been made.
If not… well, we’re used to being betrayed by our politicians. But I think we’re also sick of it. Aren’t we?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Join the uPopulus group at https://upopulus.com/groups/vox-political/
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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