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THE 69TH EDITION FOR ALL PLYMOUTH TEACHERS JUNE 2007

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TI
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PAY
A CHARITABLE
GESTURE OR
PATRONISING?
Alan Johnson’s “great
idea” to send excellent SUPPORT NURSES,
teachers from private
schools into state
MIDWIVES, AND OTHER
schools has received PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS WHO ARE HAVING
lukewarm support. Do THEIR PAY UNFAIRLY
we really believe that SUPPRESSED
the best teachers work
in schools that have the “You can’t value public servants
best academic results? if you cut their pay”
INFLATION 4.8%
Teachers’ pay rise?
2½%
Work it out—a 2.3% pay cut
IS THIS YOU?
A teacher on UPS3 will lose about £3000 over the
next three years if we do nothing. This same “Your
teacher has already lost £1236 in the last 3 years. standard
The purchasing power of a new teacher’s salary
of living
has been cut by £724 in the same period. must fall”
A QUALIFIED TEACHER IN EVERY
CLASS—Baroness Fookes visits
Courtlands School with Division
Secretary David Smale to award the
first Plymouth NUT Kite Mark—see P4

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Call the Joining Hotline 0845 300 1669
 Performance
Photo by Andy Woolley
Martin Edmonds
[Plymouth’s
immediate past Management
President] Training
speaking at the
2007 Conference. For NUT Reps:
Martin also Where?
appears in this
month’s China Fleet Club
TEACHER Saltash
magazine.
Details—see
enclosed flyer
Additional NUT
members welcome

“Unity in action at workplace

level can really work”
A member writes, “I’ve been
interviewed for a HoD post at school, on
a temporary TLR, to “see how I get on.”
Is this allowed?”
Answer: No, this is unlawful as TLRs
cannot be awarded on a temporary basis
unless you are covering for a sick
colleague or someone on maternity
leave. A TLR, once awarded is
permanent.
A member writes, “A colleague has
approached our HT and asked for more
responsibility—unpaid—in order to
enhance their CV. Should I do the
same?”
Answer: No. I suspect your colleague
d o e s n 't f u l l y a p p r e c i a t e t h e
unprofessional nature of their action. It
could also set a precedent where no one
is paid for any responsibility in your
school...barring the HT and DHT. How
strange it would be if your HT
announced at a staff meeting that they
would now cut their pay to UPS3 and do
their HT duties for nothing...it’ll never
happen—so why should other teachers
take on these additional and essential
tasks for no remuneration?
A member asks, “My partner has a TLR
for numeracy in his school. I don’t have
one for literacy in my school. How can this
be fair?”
Answer: It isn’t. The LA are currently
looking at the pay and job descriptions of
all council employees [but not teachers] to
ensure that equal pay is awarded for equal
work. The STP&CD explains why you
should receive a TLR, in detail. Just
request a TLR from your HT. Ask them to
write down the reason(s) why you are un-
deserving. Then contact the NUT.
Remember, in most cases the LA employ
you, not the school, and they want to see
that you are properly remunerated.
Concerned about HT drop-ins?
Is classroom observation an issue?
Worried about “negotiating” your school’s
performance management policy?
Make sure your Rep or a couple of other dID
you
members attend the training course
Question—how many excellent teachers read
are there? You know—the reason why this
UPS4 and UPS5 were done away with.
?
Answer on P4
Conference 2007 A 2½% pay rise this year
Steve Sinnott Calls and 2% for the following
For Strike Action 3 years when inflation is
Over Pay currently 4.8% is a pay
The General Secretary
called for a one day cut in anyone’s language.
strike across the public Do you deserve it?
sector in response to
Gordon Browns’ pay
freeze, “as a first stage
OUR PAY IS GOING DOWN...
of any
Since 2004 our pay has been falling behind inflation. The
industrial
action which NUT was the first teacher union to trigger reopening pay
is
talks as inflation went above 3¼%. So far, however, Alan
required to protect the
pay of teachers and Johnson seems to have had other things on his mind and
other public sector
workers.” has yet to respond to our legitimate request.
If he continues with his silence, or he turns down our
Steve
claim, we need to show the government we are not
Sinnott
prepared to be treated unfairly.
announces a
10% pay claim or This is an issue for both older and younger teachers.
£3 000 for all Council tax has risen above inflation; petrol and utility
teachers to redress bills are increasing way beyond our September pay rise.
the shortfall over 100% of homes in the SW are now unaffordable to
the past 3 years and teachers and other essential workers.
the next 3 years.
Public workers need each other’s support. By standing up
PLYMOUTH to this unfair treatment you can defend the nurses [for
example] whose pay will rise by just 1.8% over the
NUT coming year. Their case could be weakened if we don’t
GENERAL support them by challenging our own below inflation pay
MEETING rises.
JUNE 14th Ask NASUWT and ATL members to join the debate in
China House the staffroom. Don’t forget your support staff in
Sutton Quay UNISON, TGWU and GMB whose pay is comparatively
Buffet 1700 much lower.
Agenda: WHAT CAN I DO?
“Performance If you believe your salary and that of your co-workers is
too high and needs to be cut back—do nothing. If you
Management” & think these low pay awards are unfair and undeserved,
“Pay” make sure you take an active part in the pay debate.
 The HERALD
picture shows pupils A GOOD
with Dr Who books,
Head teacher John
Dunkerley and
LOCAL
Plymouth NUT has awarded Courtlands special school a kite mark for
guaranteeing to use only qualified teachers to teach whole classes. This out-
standing school has excellent support staff but parents expect their
Baroness
holding the
Fookes
kite mark
SCHOOL
children to be taught by qualified teachers. As the kite mark says, “Our
pledge to children and parents in this school,” they deserve nothing less.
Close-up photo by
Martin Edmonds
FOR
Plymouth Division:
plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk
“It’s possible to look at the context EVERY
26 01503 240527
Regional Office:
south.west@nut.org,uk
01392 258028
of poverty and physical progress
at 22 months and accurately predict
academic achievement at age 26”
CHILD