Messages of Support for The Woodlands NUT members taking strike action on Friday November 20th 2009
I have heard about the dispute at your school from colleagues in the NUT.
Please pass on my very best wishes to those who are planning to take strike action next week. Excessive workload has now become the blight of many teachers lives. It often damages teacher's health and can lead to breakdown of family relationships.
Since my retirement from teaching in 2006, I have been campaigning to reduce stress and promote better mental health amongst teachers. I have visited many areas of England and spoken to hundreds of teachers (including speaking at a meeting in Coventry).
There is now incontrovertible evidence that excessive and unmanageable workload is a major cause of serious teacher stress and the Health and Safety Executive now rank teaching as the most stressful occupation.
You are right to protect your working conditions. In doing so you not only protect your own health and that of your families; you also help to protect all teachers by sending a strong signal to employers.
It is time for teachers to take a stand and you have my full support.
With very best wishes,
John Illingworth
Former NUT President (2001-2002)
I would like to congratulate you and the members at Woodlands School for taking action to protect members from increasing workload. This is a brave stand. But I firmly believe that the job of teaching would be much better if more members took a similar position instead of allowing themselves to be pushed around by management. Hopefully, your action will encourage members in other schools to make a stand against the unreasonable demands made of them.
Best Wishes for a successful strike day.
Tony Tonks.
Regional Executive Member
Notts NUT would like to offer our support and solidarity to you and your members at Woodlands School during you current action.
We too have schools in Notts changing their timetables to circumvent the No Cover policy which not only cuts across the whole spirit of the policy but also has massive workload implications for all staff in a school.
The best of luck. Keep us informed about progress.
Yours
Ivan
Ivan Wels
Joint Division Secretary Notts NUT
Please pass on to your members at Woodlands School my solidarity and support in their struggle against excessive workload. This is a major problem for all teachers and people like you and your members are leading the fight to turn back the tide and allow teachers to get on with their professional work for the sake of the children they teach.
I wish you the very best in your dispute
In solidarity
Mary Compton (Past President NUT)
Please pass on our support to Stewart and the members at Woodlands from all of us here at Kennedy. We very much appreciate the stand Woodlands are taking against redundancy.
All the best
NUT Members at President Kennedy School
I understand that NUT members at Woodlands school will be taking strike action from Friday 20th November in opposition to excessive workload following a reduction in non-contact time relating to the new 'rarely cover, contractual right for teachers. I recognise that teachers do not vote to take strike action lightly but sometimes it is necessary to bring a school management to its senses by making it clear that enough is enough.
Please pass on a message of support from the Barnsley NUT as well as from myself personally. I wish you and your NUT members well in reaching a successful outcome to your campaign.
Pete Bevis
Secretary; Barnsley National Union of Teachers
& South Yorkshire National Executive Committee member;
Please pass on my message of support to all NUT members taking strike action on November 20th. Too often after redundancies - the staff left behind end up working harder and longer.
Yours is a very important strike for all teachers- because despite all the hot air about work life balance, we know that teachers are working harder than ever.
You are actually striking for all of us!
In peace and solidarity
Sally Kincaid
Divisional Secretary
Wakefield and District NUT
Please pass on to all your colleagues a message of support from Lewisham NUT for your determined decision to take action to oppose the worsening of your conditions and the attack on Coventry’s previous agreements.
In Lewisham too, we have been campaigning against attempts to increase timetable loadings. Your action can help inspire others to make a stand against worsening workload.
We need to be taking action across the country to demand binding limits on contact time and genuine ‘no cover’ instead of a ‘deal’ that allows employers to give with one hand and take with another.
STAND FIRM!
NO DETRIMENT’ must mean what it says – NO WORSENING OF TEACHERS’ WORKLOAD!
All the best
Martin Powell-Davies,
Secretary, Lewisham NUT
Congratulations on your stand against the increases in workload brought about by opportunistic managers exploiting the new 'rarely cover' arrangements. It is bad enough that government excludes the NUT from devising some of these ideas, without our members then being made to pay for their introduction.
Ealing NUT members know how teachers are often their own worst enemies by saying YES before they say NO to new ideas, simply because we always want to do the best for kids. But so often our willingness to change is abused by bullying managers who simply dictate change whether or not it is good for our well-being or that of the kids.
Trade unions are all that stand between a just, equitable future society and one where the dog-eat-dog selfishness of capitalism pervades every pore of our beings, including the marketised relationship forced on teachers and learners by SATs and League Tables.
Your fight is our fight and don't hesitate to let us know how it goes and how we can help.
In solidarity
Nick Grant
Secretary Ealing NUT
Outer London NUT NEC member
Best wishes for a successful resolution to your dispute about non-contact time/rarely cover. We had a similar issue at my school - Duston School, Northampton. Management wanted teachers to have one less period of non-contact time per fortnight to 'pay' for rarely cover. NUT members threatened to take action, and the issue was resolved without any loss of non-contact time. So be assured that your stance is perfectly reasonable, and that your best defence of your working conditions is by standing together. Good luck with 20th November strike day.
Regards
Pat Markey
Secretary, Northampton NUT.