OPPOSE THE TWO-TIER WORKFORCE
Derek McMillan (West Sussex NUT)
I received a letter from my MP the other day in which he put forward the basic argument that allowing “flexibility” in the employment of agency staff made it possible for agencies to provide employment.
The MP argued that any restriction of their “flexibility” would lead to a reduction in employment prospects. I was inclined to ask this Tory MP, “what are you, New Labour?” because you couldn’t put a Rizla between the policies of the bosses’ parties on this issue.
It is of course a downright lie that paying people less and taking away their entitlement to pension benefits leads to more employment. What it does do is to keep the private agencies afloat. Without them schools would need some system of Local Authority supply lists. This is a system that was sacrificed on the altar of privatisation.
The conference motion on supply teachers contains the line “calls on the Executive to campaign vigorously”. Yet this motion stands in the name of the Executive! On those grounds alone it deserves delegates’ full support. The prospect of the Executive trying to galvanise themselves is to be welcomed.
For many teachers, supply teaching has been a way of reducing their timetable prior to retirement now that early retirement has become virtually unobtainable and retirement on the grounds of ill health is virtually impossible unless you are actually dead.
Paradoxically, supply teachers are often the shock troops of education, sent in to hold the line when nobody else can. Have you ever covered a class and found out within five minutes exactly why the usual teacher is off with stress-related illness? Supply teachers do this all the time.
And yet they are criminally underpaid and denied their pension rights in the name of “flexibility”. If they are not directly employed by a school, the agencies will not pay a penny towards their CPD and they have to rely on their own resources to keep abreast of developments in education. The only people who provide free CPD for supply teachers are the unions.
The vulnerable position of agency staff is sharply exposed when they are subject to investigations made under child protection procedures. A suspension that can follow in these circumstances is stressful enough for any teacher – but at least school staff are absent on full pay. In contrast, most agency teachers are simply left unpaid. Too often, their agency simply drops them like a stone.
Agencies should be forced to use some of their profits to ensure that no teachers suffers loss of earnings when suspended from work.
Whether the National Executive campaigns “vigorously,” or in their more usual less-than-vigorous manner, we need to fight for supply teachers.
School reps can make their colleagues aware of the injustice affecting people who work at their side. The fat cats in agencies pay them less, rob them of pensions and pocket the difference. It will help all of us in the fight against the creeping privatisation of education.
All workers to have trade union rates of pay, employment protection, sickness pension and holiday rights from day one of employment .
No to ‘two-tier’ education.
All classes to be taught by qualified teachers.
Spend money on education, not private agencies’ profits.
Supply staff to be employed through local authorities.
I received a letter from my MP the other day in which he put forward the basic argument that allowing “flexibility” in the employment of agency staff made it possible for agencies to provide employment.
The MP argued that any restriction of their “flexibility” would lead to a reduction in employment prospects. I was inclined to ask this Tory MP, “what are you, New Labour?” because you couldn’t put a Rizla between the policies of the bosses’ parties on this issue.
It is of course a downright lie that paying people less and taking away their entitlement to pension benefits leads to more employment. What it does do is to keep the private agencies afloat. Without them schools would need some system of Local Authority supply lists. This is a system that was sacrificed on the altar of privatisation.
The conference motion on supply teachers contains the line “calls on the Executive to campaign vigorously”. Yet this motion stands in the name of the Executive! On those grounds alone it deserves delegates’ full support. The prospect of the Executive trying to galvanise themselves is to be welcomed.
For many teachers, supply teaching has been a way of reducing their timetable prior to retirement now that early retirement has become virtually unobtainable and retirement on the grounds of ill health is virtually impossible unless you are actually dead.
Paradoxically, supply teachers are often the shock troops of education, sent in to hold the line when nobody else can. Have you ever covered a class and found out within five minutes exactly why the usual teacher is off with stress-related illness? Supply teachers do this all the time.
And yet they are criminally underpaid and denied their pension rights in the name of “flexibility”. If they are not directly employed by a school, the agencies will not pay a penny towards their CPD and they have to rely on their own resources to keep abreast of developments in education. The only people who provide free CPD for supply teachers are the unions.
The vulnerable position of agency staff is sharply exposed when they are subject to investigations made under child protection procedures. A suspension that can follow in these circumstances is stressful enough for any teacher – but at least school staff are absent on full pay. In contrast, most agency teachers are simply left unpaid. Too often, their agency simply drops them like a stone.
Agencies should be forced to use some of their profits to ensure that no teachers suffers loss of earnings when suspended from work.
Whether the National Executive campaigns “vigorously,” or in their more usual less-than-vigorous manner, we need to fight for supply teachers.
School reps can make their colleagues aware of the injustice affecting people who work at their side. The fat cats in agencies pay them less, rob them of pensions and pocket the difference. It will help all of us in the fight against the creeping privatisation of education.
All workers to have trade union rates of pay, employment protection, sickness pension and holiday rights from day one of employment .
No to ‘two-tier’ education.
All classes to be taught by qualified teachers.
Spend money on education, not private agencies’ profits.
Supply staff to be employed through local authorities.
posted by classroom teacher at
10:45
1 Comments:
I totally agree with everything DM has written. I have forwarded it on to our Supply Teachers rep on Brighton and Hove NUT committee, Angela. Every local association needs a supply teachers rep in my opinion, because the Union could do a LOT more for us, and we need to push for this. Regrettably some permanent teachers also see supply teachers as second-class citizens, so a dedicated rep on every Committee is very desirable.
I am currently seeking union help with becoming self-employed (supply teaching) to cut out the agencies.
WSCC say this is fine with 'the appropriate level of public liability insurance' which I've yet to determine.(Previously I did the self-employed bit, but in an independent school that did not seem concerned with such niceties!)
I am also trying to get help from Regional Office with problems such as getting a CRB (you can't get one yourself, someone else has to apply for it on your behalf - and the CRB people told me to ask an Agency to do this!)
Shome mistake here, shurely?
Someone on our Committee suggested that we set up a supply teachers Co-op or collective (distinction not clear to me) which seems a great idea, I don't want to think I'm undercutting other supply teachers, just the agencies! I'm not up for this at present, too much on - anyone got any ideas?
My condolences on your MP, DM. Ours (Kemp town, Brighton) would not dream of coming up with such a ridiculously inflammatory statement; even though he is 'coasting' a bit as retiring at the next election, he's not even quite NEW labour. How you keep your blood pressure down when you have a ?Tory? fossil for an MP amazes me.
You might find the Campaign Teacher blog interesting, though they are more focused on weighty matters (in their view, anyway) than supply teachers' plight.
My current agency is horrendously inefficient, has lost 2 lots of forms I have sent in, for example. Yet if I were to complain I would find work suddenly became unavailable, I've no doubt.
We are at their mercy, and the system stinks.
Keep up the fight (whatever that is!)
Val
Post a Comment
<< Home