Making us pay for their mistakes ?
Linda Taaffe writes:
What reward do teachers get for working so hard to get children up to the targets set by government? Look at your pay slip and compare it with the long hours you work each month. Many teachers will find they earn as little as £10 an hour - before tax!
We all know the cost of housing. It takes a huge bite out of our pay, whether we are struggling with a mortgage or trying to get on to the ladder. Young teachers also suffer from huge student debts.
Tax takes another huge chunk of our salaries. But not everyone has to worry! Look at the scandal of the ‘non-domiciled’ residents who virtually pay no tax at all. One rich London businessman even sympathised that he paid less tax than his cleaner!
Like other workers, we are watching the news about stock market volatility and wondering how it is going to affect us. We wonder what the future holds for our own children and the pupils we teach. Things are beginning to look decidedly uncertain.
The only certainty is that Gordon Brown and his government will continue to carry out policies that are in favour of big business. These ‘masters of the universe’ have reaped the dividends when the going was good. Now that the market looks shaky they want to make workers pay for their thieving stewardship of the world’s resources. And they expect New Labour to do their bidding. Hence Gordon Brown’s demand to hold down public sector pay - dressed up, of course, in the language of prudence and common sense.
We say no way. We cannot afford to just accept this pay insult. We have to fight back. We cannot afford not to. Teachers need a clear strategy to win. A key part of that is to bring together public sector trade unions and take united joint action to win decent pay for all.
In this pay battle, as in other local campaigns such as those to stop school closures and academies, teachers find ourselves up against New Labour and the other two parties of big business. The NUT has won its ‘political fund’ to allow us to speak out at election time - but who can we rely on to stand up for teachers in local or national elections? We have to start thinking about a campaign to create a trade-union backed alternative that stands for the millions - not the millionaires. The combined strength of united union action and a real challenge at the ballot box can help us turn the tide at last.
Classroom Teacher 2 out now Click here to download
What reward do teachers get for working so hard to get children up to the targets set by government? Look at your pay slip and compare it with the long hours you work each month. Many teachers will find they earn as little as £10 an hour - before tax!
We all know the cost of housing. It takes a huge bite out of our pay, whether we are struggling with a mortgage or trying to get on to the ladder. Young teachers also suffer from huge student debts.
Tax takes another huge chunk of our salaries. But not everyone has to worry! Look at the scandal of the ‘non-domiciled’ residents who virtually pay no tax at all. One rich London businessman even sympathised that he paid less tax than his cleaner!
Like other workers, we are watching the news about stock market volatility and wondering how it is going to affect us. We wonder what the future holds for our own children and the pupils we teach. Things are beginning to look decidedly uncertain.
The only certainty is that Gordon Brown and his government will continue to carry out policies that are in favour of big business. These ‘masters of the universe’ have reaped the dividends when the going was good. Now that the market looks shaky they want to make workers pay for their thieving stewardship of the world’s resources. And they expect New Labour to do their bidding. Hence Gordon Brown’s demand to hold down public sector pay - dressed up, of course, in the language of prudence and common sense.
We say no way. We cannot afford to just accept this pay insult. We have to fight back. We cannot afford not to. Teachers need a clear strategy to win. A key part of that is to bring together public sector trade unions and take united joint action to win decent pay for all.
In this pay battle, as in other local campaigns such as those to stop school closures and academies, teachers find ourselves up against New Labour and the other two parties of big business. The NUT has won its ‘political fund’ to allow us to speak out at election time - but who can we rely on to stand up for teachers in local or national elections? We have to start thinking about a campaign to create a trade-union backed alternative that stands for the millions - not the millionaires. The combined strength of united union action and a real challenge at the ballot box can help us turn the tide at last.
Classroom Teacher 2 out now Click here to download
posted by classroom teacher at
11:14
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