Salford: NASUWT strike against unreasonable treatment

Teachers at Swinton High School in Salford, Greater Manchester, were on strike on 21-22 October. Members of the NASUWT teachers' union are deeply frustrated at policies imposed by the headteacher leading to massively increased workload and deeply intrusive monitoring.

The union has sought to find a negotiated solution but each time any apparent progress in talks seems to be circumvented and undermined by the headteacher. As a result, 34 NASUWT members, an overwhelming majority of teachers at Swinton High, voted unanimously to strike for two days' in October and a further three in November.

A teacher at the school told me:

These are 34 members who've been at the school on average at least eight years, some as long as 16.

They're the same teachers who got the school good Oftsteds with outstanding features, the same teachers who got record results in 2012, and the things that have been happening and the reasons the results have been dipping are not because these teachers have suddenly turned to inadequate overnight and need checking more.

They're all open to a solution, they just want to be listened to and treated as the experienced professionals that they are who care about our kids.

Once the strikes began, the headteacher offered further talks, due to take place on Wednesday 22 October. If progress isn't made, further strike action will take place on 4-6 November.

Messages of support have flooded in, send your message of support c/o [email protected]

Hugh Caffrey

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 23 October 2014 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.

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