NASUWT calls for action on registration fee
The NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in Wales, has called for school staff to be reimbursed if plans go ahead for a requirement for all staff working in schools to be registered with a regulatory body.
Moving a motion at the Wales TUC Conference in Llandudno, NASUWT Cardiff Secretary Jane Setchfield will call for the Welsh Government to ensure that employers are provided with sufficient funds to reimburse the registration fee if the proposals are introduced.
Teachers in Wales are already required to pay a registration fee to the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW). This was increased from £33 to £45 in 2008, with teachers required to pay the increase from their own pockets.
In moving the motion, NASUWT Cardiff Secretary, Jane Setchfield, will state:
“The argument is simple, if registration with a regulatory body is a condition of employment, then the employer should pay.
“Consequently, if the Welsh Government’s proposals are enacted, and the wider education workforce in Wales is required to register with a regulatory body, then the Welsh Government should ensure that sufficient funds are set-aside to allow for the reimbursement of the fee by the employers.”
Chris Keates, NASUWT General Secretary, said:
“In the context of a four-year pay freeze, increased pension contributions and the rising cost of living, the registration fee is a further financial imposition on school staff.
“Teachers already have a requirement to be registered with the GTCW, but they view the fee as even more of an imposition when they cannot see any value added to the profession by the regulatory body.”
ENDS
Lena Davies
Journalist and acting press officer
Campaigns and Communications Team
NASUWT
0121 457 6250 / 07867 392 746
lena.davies@mail.nasuwt.org.uk
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