I'm on strike today. I never ever thought it would come to it. But here I am this morning on the picket line outside our school. I've just read on the EIS website that the last offer COSLA and the Scottish Government offer made amounted to an average of 71p extra a week. Yes, 71 PENCE!!!
People think teachers are well paid and compared to some professions like nursing we are. All teachers are graduates and we worked hard for our degrees. Many still have the student debt to show for it. But the cost of living hits everyone. We have several single mums on our staff who are frankly struggling but they came out on strike today to send a message.
In recent weeks I've paid £160 to a plumber and £144 to an electrician, each spending less than an hour on their job. I do not begrudge them at all for charging a fair rate for their expertise and time. Today I lost £106, a day's pay for striking. Public sector workers cannot charge more for our services and expertise. Even a 10% pay increase is still below inflation and would effectively be a pay cut. Everyone deserves fair pay.
**gets off soapbox now** Normal frugal tips will resume soon!
Well done on going out in the dark to picket. South Lanarkshire closed all its schools today so didn’t see anyone outside the school across the road. I was 30 days short in my pension due to strike days and could not top it up. It was already 15% short due to my early finish. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes, we've all been well warned about that this time and have been advised to look at other ways to make up the shortfall
DeleteYay, you! My daughter’s a teacher in Florida. (gah!!!) Teachers are under valued everywhere! I hope you get a decent raise!
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Thanks! We just want a raise in line with inflation. Once upon a time police/teachers/nurses were all paid the same. Police have gone ahead of us and nurses have been left behind. Teachers and nurses have degrees, police don't need one.
DeleteMy daughter is a secondary school teacher, she did 4 years at the University of Leeds. She finished with just under 60k of student debt. She's now down to 3 days as she's got a toddler, but still works late into the evening and weekends. It's not the 9 to 3 job that people think it is.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not 9 to 3!!! I get paid for 35 hours a week. I'm usually at least 40, more at busy times. The job cannot be done in our contracted hours. And we don't get paid long holidays. I get paid for 265 days a year but it's averaged out over 365 days so we don't have months of low or no salary.
DeleteYou have my support. xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Joy! xxx
DeleteMost nurses are graduates now too . A lot have done Madters sometimes while holding down a day job but good luck xx
DeleteAli did say that teachers and nurses are graduates too. I held down a full time teaching position while working towards a degree in the 1980s with a young child.
DeleteYes, teachers and nurses here in Scotland do a 4 year degree course. Or teachers can do a post graduate training course after their normal degree. There is a graduate programme for police officers. You can join the police force after your degree and get fast tracked. But there is no requirement for a degree
DeleteOne of our provinces here in Canada is thinking of striking. Not so much the teachers as the aides, janitors, cooks, and bus drivers. The teachers are going out in support. Aids and other support staff are paid terribly in that province and the teachers want to help them get what they deserve.
ReplyDeleteHopefully you get what you need.
God bless.
Thanks. Our support staff were almost on strike a few months ago but their pay claim was met with just hours to go. We can't function in schools without out Support for Learning Assistants, janitor, cleaners, cooks and admin. My SLA is my right hand woman and worth the same salary I get but she's paid a pittance. She's outstanding and I simply couldn't do the job without her!
DeleteI find your salary shocking. I worked out the average rate and the conversion and you are making about half the average pay rate that a teacher makes here, and that's not someone with the experience or level that you are at. I was a teaching assistant, retired for 11 years. If I was still working today I would be getting the equivalent of £143.56/day (7.5hrs) and 71p is an absolute insult!! I sure hope they come to their senses and start bargaining in good faith. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm at the top of the teaching salary scale to reflect my experience but they keep changing it to try and keep young teachers in the profession. There's a huge gap in the 30s age range as many just leave. I think Scottish teachers are paid a wee bit more than English teachers but the UK in general is way down the international table of salaries.
DeleteGood for you.
ReplyDeleteMind you if you added all your four 71p a week's rise together you would be able to buy yourself an extra loaf of bread or two every month ... I'll start running now so you don't hit me!! ;-)
I'll not mention how much lower than yours my pay is, it's my own fault I own the company!!
Lol! I'm one of the lucky ones as I don't have a mortgage any more. It's my younger colleagues I feel sorry for as they just can't get on the housing market. They're paying huge amounts in rent to landlords, effectively paying someone else's mortgage and can't save a deposit!!!
DeleteTough times call for tough measures don't they?
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I know, I do hope it all gets resolved soon!
DeleteSometimes you just have to nail your colours to the mast!
ReplyDeleteYep, I just hope they're seen and the Scottish Government acts soon!
DeleteI would be out there with you if I was still in the UK. So many public sector workers' salaries are a joke. When I was teaching I was doing a 12 hour day, usually, what with preparation, marking etc. I used to take my marking to rehearsals of the am dram group I belonged to and people would remark on how surprised they were by the amount I had to do. That was over 20 years ago, and I don't suppose it has got any better!
ReplyDeleteNo it hasn't got any better!! Although we do get 2.5 hours a week 'non contact' time to do some prep/marking etc. I spent mine the last 2 weeks in Staged Intervention meetings with parents and management. I'm in Early Years so a lot of time goes into prepping resources and sourcing 'stuff' that the school doesn't provide so I can do my job. I also have to 'evidence' everything I do which means I take 100s of photos every day and upload them to Seesaw for parents to see. And for anyone higher up the food chain to check I'm doing my job!
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