[Closed] Striking - School Closures - Kids at Work

Small Engineering company, not enough staff. It's not all good I'll have to go in during the night to make the time up or the company will suffer big probs.

inbred, not wanting to turn this into a willy-waving contest, but as I've said many times before in these sorts of threads, my wife, who is a teacher almost invariably sits down to around 2 hours of marking and prep for the next day once the kids are in bed, and has been doing so every weekday for the last 10 years to my knowledge. How do you think that is different to you "going in during the night to make up time"? Once and for all, people need to get over this idea that teaching is 9 to 3 with 13 weeks holiday. Good teachers work long hours. My wife probably does a 55-60 hour week during term time and maybe a 10-20 hour week during holidays. I suspect that she is towards one end of the curve, but it is not a cushy job.

We've got a closure day today, to make up for extra evenings and days worked earlier in the year. I'm working. I'll be working on our closure day tomorrow, too.

I'll not be working next Wednesday.

As said above, the strike's not just about the pensions changes; they're just the line in the sand.

The private sector needs educated workers. If the private sector's future workers will be getting taught by older, poorer, harder-worked teachers, they will not be getting taught as well as they are now.

Being older, makes you worse at your job, then? If the unions agreed to make it easier to sack teachers incapable of doing their job properly that would also benefit our kids, and i'd be backing the teachers a lot more.

Being older, makes you worse at your job, then?

It makes it rather harder to do a physically demanding job - 68 is currently the life expectancy for a male teacher retiring at 60.

Being older, makes you worse at your job, then?

Definitely!

All the centenarians I know are a right work shy bunch of wasters. Sitting around in their retirement homes using up medical supplies willy-nilly.

Have they not heard of Dignitas?

I struggle with long sentences, but I spotted a bit of TJ hyperbole nobody pulled him up on

Its exactly a maxwell style raid.

Just out of interest, those teachers of you striking, what do you expect the parents to do with their children?

Just out of interest, those teachers of you striking, what do you expect the parents to do with their children?

nice troll jonba 😆

jonba - Member
Just out of interest, those teachers of you striking, what do you expect the parents to do with their children?

jonba

Just out of interest, those teachers of you striking, what do you expect the parents to do with their children?

Interestingly, my wife had (seriously) suggested that some of the striking teachers at her school might organise a free Tolpuddle Martyrs themed event for children at the village hall next to the school. I think it was shot down by the higher up powers that be though.

However, just out of interest, what do you think the purpose of a strike is?

However, just out of interest, what do you think the purpose of a strike is?

However, just out of interest, what do you think the purpose of a strike is?

Possibly to draw attention to the value to the economy of the childminding service provided by schools.

Another interesting point is that if all those families with two parents working were to surrender one of those jobs in the national interest, then the unemployed could backfill many of those positions. Course then they'd have to give up the speculative house buying, new cars branded purchases and foreign travel.

TandemJeremy - Member

allowing contributions holidays is what did the real damage. tory policy again

so zulu - you don't want to subsidise public sector pension( even tho actually no one is wanting you to do so) but you want a subsidy for private pensions?

Zulu-Eleven - Member

Fine TJ - so you won't mind if the tories remove a subsidy in the form of employee contributions paid by taxpayers?

However, just out of interest, what do you think the purpose of a strike is?

To get rid of any public support you might have had?

That would be the private sector public of course?

Just as a matter of interest though, in what way was this "public support" you speak of being expressed?

What had you done to express your concern at the way the public sector is having it's pay and conditions stripped away?

And what impact do you think your "public support" has had on Govt policy?

What do you think that "public support" means if it doesn't actually include anything other than saying that you are supportive?

Actually I think that the public that is supportive is still supportive, and that you clearly weren't "supportive" in the first place, so no loss there eh?

I support the strike and work in the private sector. Nothing more to add to this pointless debate.

I support the strike and work in the private sector.

Interesting point. Let's say that you're a bus driver and you have to take the day off to stay at home with your kids. And let's extrapolate that to imagine that all bus drivers have to do the same. What if said teachers need to get a bus to their school that day in order to picket/make their protest? Or your a shopkeeper - and the teachers want to stop in at a shop to buy something. Or an IT worker in an Internet Service Provider and suddenly there's no internet. Or a bank worker and all the cash machines and branches are close... etc, etc, etc.

Whats your point?

Scrap Trident.
Pay the pension that was promised (and paid for already out of previous decades of low pay).

Just out of interest, those teachers of you striking, what do you expect the parents to do with their children?

Take them skiing?

I hear Greece is nice this time of year. Cheap at the moment too

I've seen a couple of threads on here recently basically boiling down to the same view points. So here's mine 🙂

If the public sector is such a good place to work, why don't you all get a job in it?? Oh and don't ever moan about the quality of public sector staff, you will never attract decent workers if you don't have a good package.

Surely the point of a strike is to cause disruption? Working to rule would have a huge impact in the NHS to the extent people would die.

I currently work for the NHS and will not be striking as I still feel that my 'package' is better than I could currently get in the private sector, even with pension changes. Mrs FD currently works for the NHS and she will suffer dramatically with the new changes.

Overall as a couple our income is dropping year on year with the current government through one tax or another, but I can't strike becuase I dont like the government, thats why I vote.

Oh and don't ever moan about the quality of public sector staff, you will never attract decent workers if you don't have a good package.

Good point.

It's funny how the people who want to cut pay and conditions in public services are the same ones who keep telling us that we have to pay managers more and more in order to attract the best and brightest.

Have your strike. But dont for a minute think that anyone in the private sector is going to be persuaded that the government shouldnt make changes to public sector pensions. We can argue about the rights and wrongs but that just isnt going to happen and I think we all know that.

Have your strike. But dont for a minute think that anyone in the private sector is going to be persuaded that the government shouldnt make changes to public sector pensions.

Ahem.

I support the strike and work in the private sector.

Oh and don't ever moan about the quality of public sector staff, you will never attract decent workers if you don't have a good package.

Family and friends experience of a number of areas of civil service & local government recruitment has shown that the chief factor in selection was not quality, but ability to tick a minority box 😡

Still, I'm sure you'll dismiss that allegation at some form of "ism" on my part

Still, I'm sure you'll dismiss that allegation at some form of "ism" on my part

total pratism?

Family and friends experience of a number of areas of civil service & local government

Family and friends experience of a number of areas of civil service & local government recruitment has shown that the chief factor in selection was not quality, but ability to tick a minority box

Bollocks.

... just out of interest, what do you think the purpose of a strike is?

"To get rid of any public support you might have had"

The [i]purpose[/i] of the "let's have a day off work" nominal strike, is to have minimal effect on the public whilst pretending that British trade unions aren't spineless and are fighting back against an unmandated government which is shafting them.

The leaders of the trade unions involved know full well that there isn't the vaguest chance the government will back down because public sector workers have decided to take an unauthorised bank holiday, they are not stupid.

And they also know full well that the government, and their friends in the media, will use the whole pointless exercise as an excuse to bash the unions with.

However the pathetically weak trade unions know that they must do [i]something[/i] to justify their existence when facing the greatest onslaught on their members conditions by a government for decades.

Lacking in the moral fibre to organise effective industrial action, and aware of British workers fairly unique willingness to accept a good shafting bending over, they decide to organise a pointless and totally ineffective token one day stoppage, in a desperate attempt to seen to be doing something.

HTH

Just out of interest, those teachers of you striking, what do you expect the parents to do with their children?

Whatever they like.

Who'd have thought this thread would have ended up like this eh?

Both my children's schools are closed for the day.

My wife is a striking teacher.

Childcare win for me.

Bollocks.

Well, for one example I can back up thoroughly - I had a friend working for Avon & somerset police... when they deselected a load of white candidates based on race - they later admitted it was illegal, apologised and paid compensation

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4806430.stm

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2006/03/07/34309/avon-and-somerset-police-chief-admits-to-recruitment.html

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2006/03/15/34433/avon-and-somerset-police-pays-undisclosed-sum-to-rejected-white.html

I take it that was bollocks was it?

never happened, all a matter of my imagination 🙄

Gointo to say sorry now are you?

I'm going to lock my two under the stairs, with a supply of sweets, some turkey twizzlers and a small camping stove for them to cook them on.

I take it that was bollocks was it?

Complete bollox.

You claimed that the "chief factor in selection" in the civil service & local government, was "not quality, but ability to tick a minority box".

The links you provided appear to relate all the same story, and one single incident, in which the police was forced to pay compensation for illegally discriminating.

In other words, the links completely contradict your claim.

Well done 🙄

binners - Member

I'm going to lock my two under the stairs, with a supply of sweets, some turkey twizzlers and a small camping stove for them to cook them on.

Cruel and unusual punishment?

Gointo to say sorry now are you?

And this back up your claim that "the chief factor in selection was not quality, but ability to tick a minority box" in "a number of areas of civil service & local government recruitment", how?

One case, where the wrong-doing was found out. If it was the chief factor in a number of areas, either that instance wouldn't have been punished or there would be far more cases.

I still call bollocks.

Cruel and unusual punishment?

If that had happened to me, I'd think Christmas had come early. Don't forget matches for the cooker, binners.

If the public sector is such a good place to work, why don't you all get a job in it??

Then they privatised us. Then they changed our pension (to something broadly comparable to what's being offered right now). Then they slashed our redundancy terms. Then they made me redundant.

Ah well. That's life. Mustn't grumble. Eh ?

I did. Then they privatised us. Then they changed our pension (to something broadly comparable to what's being offered right now). Then they slashed our redundancy terms. Then they made me redundant.

As Ernie said, sounds like a great reason for the public sector to jump at the offer then.

However exactly did you translate, my employer changed my terms to the same, and I got ****ed, to that's a great deal they should go for it?

I did. Then they privatised us. Then they changed our pension (to something broadly comparable to what's being offered right now). Then they slashed our redundancy terms. Then they made me redundant.

So that would be the private sector that did that then?

mcboo - Member

Have your strike. But dont for a minute think that anyone in the private sector is going to be persuaded that the government shouldnt make changes to public sector pensions. We can argue about the rights and wrongs but that just isnt going to happen and I think we all know that.

ZOMG, WTF, EXCLAMATION MARK.

And you think this government will give a toss ?

You can operate your work to rule as long as you want, it won't be any skin off the government's nose. The only thing which will have any affect on this government is if you close schools - and for more than one poxy day.

When the kids have to be sent home at lunchtime I think a few people might become annoyed.

Yeah, a few people might become annoyed with you. I said, do you think this government will give a toss?

Yes

Yes

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