NASUWT trade dispute

NASUWT trade dispute

NASUWT trade dispute

At its meeting on Friday 14 February, the National Executive of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, will consider plans for the next phase of industrial action in England and Wales.

The NASUWT has today written to the Secretary of State for Education to reiterate its request for discrete meetings to be called to seek to resolve the trade dispute on teachers’ pay, pensions, workload and conditions of service and job loss, through constructive dialogue.

The NASUWT has made repeated attempts to secure such talks and has been supported in doing so by representations from the TUC and all other unions representing teachers and headteachers.

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:

“The Secretary of State must understand that the teaching profession is on the verge of a crisis. The relentless attack on every aspect of teachers’ working lives is taking its toll.

“NASUWT members have been engaged in industrial action since November 2011.

“It was deeply disappointing to teachers that, having agreed in October 2013 to a programme of talks with the NASUWT and NUT, the Secretary of State did not take the opportunity to progress this, despite planned strike action for November 2013 being called off to allow progress to be made.

“The only way to resolve a dispute is for the parties directly involved to sit down to have serious discussions on the issues of concern.

“The Secretary of State needs to take the window of opportunity the NASUWT has offered to him to build trust and confidence with the teaching profession and to demonstrate that he is willing to discuss their deep concerns.

“The NASUWT remains committed to securing genuine dialogue in order to resolve the current trade dispute.

“The Union is continuing to press the Secretary of State to engage seriously in meetings focused on dispute resolution.”

ENDS

 

Note to editors

NASUWT members have been involved in industrial action since November 2011.

The industrial action campaign has included:

·        continuous action short of strike action which includes a range of national action instructions to protect members’ conditions of service on a daily basis and to resist adverse changes imposed by the Secretary of State;

·        strike action on 30 November 2011, 27 June 2013; 1 October 2013; 17 October 2013.

·        strike action in individual and groups of schools to resist the imposition of detrimental policies on pay and performance management.