Anger and apathy

As anticipated, the lead teachers in my school opted to collapse the regular timetable in favour of a version which allowed the school to accommodate the limited number of students, and of course the limited number of teachers, present in the building yesterday. And, as feared, our staff made the decision to go along with the plan- in spite of the obvious fact that such acceptance negated the actions of our striking colleagues. My vocal, persistent and not too subtle protestations as the only dissenter were to no avail and, under the threat of disciplinary action from the head teacher, Mr C, I was bullied into reluctant, silent co-operation. The lone voice of reason amid the madness of many, it seems, is worth nothing. Robert Neville, I feel your pain! Unfortunately, this willingness to simply go with the flow in order to avoid confrontation and safeguard career progression is what will ultimately lead to the inevitable failure of the current, and proposed further, industrial action.

As for the strike itself, I feel that it was hindered and undermined by some widespread misinformation in the broadcast media and in the press. Schools Minister Jim Knight, in his numerous television appearances, newspaper interviews and a badly written article in the Times Educational Supplement, constantly repeated the misleading figure of £34,000 as a teacher's average salary. Traditionally, teachers have never enjoyed public sympathy and statements such as that will serve only to further dent the fragile support that does exist. When the take-home pay of all teachers working in our schools is taken in to account, from head teachers (many of whom, including Mr C, earn in excess of £70,000 per annum) through AST's down to NQT's and GTP's, then yes, the average salary may well calculate as a rather handsome 34 grand. However, this figure is a deliberate gross misrepresentation of the current wage of a classroom teacher on the main pay scale, which ranges from £21,130 to just over £27,000. The actual average wage of those teachers who work closely with students on a daily basis is therefore considerably less than that quoted by Mr Knight- who is certainly already aware of this, of course.

The independent School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) proposed a three year pay plan for teachers, beginning with a 2.45% basic rise from September '08, with further increases of 2.3% for the following two years. This evens out at a rise of 2.5% over the next three years. The Retail Price Index, as it features on official government websites, is currently 4.1% per year. The pay offer clearly fails to keep teachers' wages abreast of inflation. Inflation that is being fuelled by soaring food, fuel, housing and energy costs. Put simply, the STRB recommendation is effectively a proposed decline in salaries which will result in a real-terms cut in the standard of living. Acute living costs for teachers working in the south-east of England, particularly those who do not qualify for a weighted allowance, mean that they are heading towards an unsustainable situation. In addition to this, newly qualified teachers are required to pay back their student loans - acquired while studying to become teachers on the back of Tony Blair's pledge to improve the standard of education in this country - at an annual rate of 4.8% interest. With an average starting salary of £20,000, it is clear that the figures simply do not add up.

After having already struggled through three consecutive years of below inflation pay increases, the proposal of three more years of the same is ludicrous and ought not to be tolerated. Lower morale, a dip in recruitment levels, staff retention difficulties, declining standards, financial constraints, and the possibility of having disgruntled, demotivated teachers working in classrooms all over Britain are things that can and should be avoided. It is clear that growing unrest may soon lead to a prolonged campaign of industrial action by teachers and other public sector workers who, like myself, are becoming increasingly impatient.

Apathy and meek acceptance must be shoved to one side. In order to affect appropriate and justified change, a rise in militant attitudes is urgently required. I hope that my fellow workers nationwide are made of sterner stuff than the more immediate colleagues who have so disgusted me this past week.