This in from Dominic Coughlin, Assistant Secretary for the National Union of Teachers in his own words. Ed
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) on the Isle of Wight reiterates that, although there were extensive consultations with the NUT negotiating team over the new pay policy during the summer, there was a failure to reach an agreement with the Isle of Wight Council.
Although the policy recommended to schools is an improvement on the Government’s endorsed one, it does not include “salary portability” when teachers move schools from September 2014. This means that teachers are not guaranteed their current salary level when moving between schools.
Separate pay policies
It is true that, under the Government’s current proposals, school governing bodies are free to set their own pay policies; nevertheless, a situation where every school on the Island has a separate pay policy is not a position that the NUT advocates.
Notwithstanding the additional difficulties this would cause schools in the recruitment of teachers, the vast majority of members of the NUT are not willing to move schools for a lower salary that the one they are currently on. This is reflected in the fact that in the recent surveys 78% of IOW NUT members said that they would not be willing to transfer to a different school for a lower salary than their current one.
Salary portability needed
The NUT acknowledges that the ability for teachers to move freely between schools is an important part of career professional development. In fact, in some countries it is mandatory that teachers move schools every six years to enable them to experience different schools.
The NUT believes that “salary portability” is important to enable teachers to develop their knowledge and expertise through teaching in different schools.
Strike action
On Thursday 17th October, members of the NUT will be joining their sister union, the NASUWT on the Isle of Wight, in a regional strike over pay, pension and working conditions.
Teachers are not asking for more but want Mr Gove to ditch his plans to make teachers work longer, pay more and get less in their pension. Other working conditions which are being eroded include: allowing schools to employ unqualified staff to teach children, removing rights to Planning Time and permitting Schools to change the school day and school year without public consultation.
This change could cause significant problems for Island families who have children in different schools.
Survey carried out between Friday 4th and Monday 7th October, 43.5 % response rate.
Image: Save Our Smile under CC BY 2.0
