Teachers fight pay cuts
WORKERS, FEB 2006 ISSUE
On 19 January NUT members at Plumstead Manor School in South London went on strike for the second time in their fight against changes to the management structure. Like all schools in England they have been forced by government to make changes to the payment of management allowances, changes that for many teachers will mean a pay cut.
The chaos caused by the new Teaching and Learning Responsibility allowances (TLRs) results from the government's rushed and ill planned attempt to save money. A recent meeting, held by the Local Government Association to explain the implementation of the TLRs to Greenwich headteachers, ended in resentment at the unnecessary measures and accusations of incompetence. Unasked for, and certainly unwanted, all schools have been forced into new management structures, a change that for many schools will cost more than the structures they replace.
The government's attempt to cut the wage bill has for the most part backfired. Although most schools in Greenwich have chosen not to take the stick offered to beat the teachers, some, like Plumstead Manor and a few others, have seen this as an opportunity to make cuts. There are a further six schools balloting for strike action in the borough and all are greatly heartened by the lead shown by Plumstead Manor.
Since the teachers at the school say they are determined to carry on, it must be asked whether the governors have the same determination to fight when so many schools around them have chosen not to take the bait.