National Union of Teachers

Working longer hours for less pay

Figures released from the government show that primary teachers work 51.5 hours a week – up from 50.1 hours last year. Special school teachers' hours have gone up from 43.9 to 45 hours. And secondary teachers' hours have only been marginally reduced from 49.1 to 48.7 hours.

Linda Taaffe

And we are getting less pay! The proportion of classroom teachers holding management allowances is down from around 51% to 43%. 30,000 less teachers hold responsibility points.

Now the government tell us, along with all other public-sector workers that we can only have a 2% increase over the next three years. That would mean five years with below-inflation increases.

At the October meeting of the NUT national executive, there was a chance to take a bold decision to ballot and take action alongside other public-sector workers.

Local government workers in Unison are balloting for action; civil servants in PCS too. Post office workers have been on strike over pay and privatisation. Why not join forces to fight a common grievance?

Unbelievably a sizeable majority of our leadership rejected this call. What a missed opportunity! Teachers need to show they are not prepared to just accept this situation.

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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

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