THE 77TH EDITION FOR ALL PLYMOUTH TEACHERS MARCH 2008

PUBLIC
SECTOR PAY Your pay “rise”
If you believe your
salary and that of your this month is
co-workers is too high
and needs to be - 1.6%
cut—do nothing Every day you lose at least £2—how long can you afford to do it? If you’re
paid on the UPS or in the leadership group it’s much much more...
• Inflation now 4.2%
• The lecturers union
UCU is balloting for Does my pay
strike action on the
same day as the
NUT—24th April
cause inflation ?
• Budget—petrol prices "Inflation is caused by price rises
up again in October in commodities and products—teachers do not affect
• Crude Oil over $100
a barrel the prices of anything—they teach. Their pay doesn't
• Petrol heading for £5 make petrol more expensive, houses cost more or food
a gallon prices to rise. Public sector pay usually shadows
• Wheat prices double
in 12 months
inflation; it doesn't cause it.”
• PO workers achieve a Who says this? The Governor of the Bank of England!
6.7% pay rise after This quote was made at the start of our campaign, some
taking strike action
time last summer...he hasn't made it since! See page 2
• Inflation expected to
rise even if the Bank
Rate falls HAVE YOU VOTED?
• Prescriptions up
3.6% VOTE NOW & VOTE YES!
THE NUT: “We work up to a standard not down to a price”
Independent of Government and not affiliated to any political party
 Unions rebut Government case
for public sector pay cuts
The TUC has told the Government that its centralised IN
pay target of 2% for the next three years will do
Brendan Barber nothing to fight inflation and risks fatally damaging the ANOTHER
industrial relations machinery that has helped to minimise disputes
across much of the public sector.
The report, SIX MILLION PAY CUTS, also says that the
TEACHER
Government's pay target will widen the pay gap between men and
women, hit staff retention, recruitment and morale and threatens a
UNION?
return to the bad old days of public sector pay boom and bust.
The Government claims that the pay freeze is necessary to fight
JOIN THE
inflation, but the report cites research carried out for the unions by
Income Data Services which shows that public sector pay follows
NUT
inflation rather than causes it. Moreover, the most recent round of
below inflation public sector pay increases has had little or no effect CALL
on private sector pay that’s matching the RPI at around 4%.
Inflationary pressure in the economy is not coming from pay - least of 0845
all public sector pay - which is already rising more slowly than pay in
the rest of the economy. The Office of National Statistics says that 300
inflation has been caused mainly by increased housing costs, higher
petrol and oil prices, and more expensive household goods - not pay.
Holding back public sector pay will make the pay gap between men
1666
and women greater as the public sector employs proportionately more
women than the private sector. It will also affect final salary pensions.
Ed Balls

thought you’d like to know...

TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, said: “The Government is
counting his

maternity benefits—just
on a collision course with six million public servants. Forcing

Academies can reduce

effective cuts in their pay for this year and the next three will hit chickens
morale and have an inevitable impact on the quality of public
services. The Government's arguments for this draconian policy
simply do not stand up. Public sector pay does not cause
inflation and holding it back does nothing to fight inflation
caused elsewhere. Its only economic impact is on the living
standards of public servants. The Government's approach
threatens the independent public sector pay review bodies that
have removed conflict from important parts of the public sector.
It also fatally undermines any ambition the Government has to
narrow the pay gap between men and women. The Government's
four-year plan of public sector pay means that resentment can
only grow and fester among public servants - all of whom have
votes.”

Your standard of living is falling and will continue to fall unless you do something about it
When the well established
Retail Price Index rose above
their 2% target, the
government invented the
Consumer Price Index to
make inflation look lower. The
CPI excludes housing costs.
They are about to exclude
energy costs from it too!
On top of excessive work load,
oversized classes and attacks
on teachers’ professionalism…
THIS REALLY IS THE LAST
STRAW.
A decline in teachers’ pay will
lead towards another teacher
shortage, further undermining
our schools and the children
we teach. The NUT has done
everything we can to make the
government change their
mind, but they will not listen.
OUR BALLOT FOR A ONE
DAY STRIKE is part of a
growing and united public
sector pay campaign. The
NUT [& UCU] action is
planned for April 24th. This is
your chance to stand up for all
teachers
and
children.
Ballot
papers
must be
received
by Monday
31st March

BALLOT &
STRIKE
Q&A? See HILARY BILLS WITH SOME OF THE 62
TEACHERS REPRESENTING PLYMOUTH, SE
contacts on P4 CORNWALL AND WEST DEVON

HAVE YOU GOT YOURS?

FREE 1GB USB MEMORY STICK for every NQT
—just email your membership number and school address to get yours!
plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk
 What’s in a name?
When the Excellent Teachers scheme
was introduced in 2006 the
government expected some 5,000
teachers to apply in the first year.
So far...just 37 have done so. The
survey commissioned by the
government shows that about a
quarter of respondents found the term
“Excellent Teacher” off-putting.
Excellent Teachers (outside London)
have been receiving a salary of
£36,771 but now the Schools
Secretary Ed Balls has agreed to pay
“Excellent Teachers” between £37,672
and £48,437 (outside the capital) in
the hope that this will tempt more
teachers to apply. What do you think?

CHECK YOUR PAY LOSS AT

www.teachers.org.uk
A member writes: “I am a p/t teacher
with a TLR. I have similar
responsibilities and duties as my f/t
colleagues but only get a proportion of
the TLR—is this fair?”
WORKLOAD UP—WORKING HOURS UP—AND NOW THE
Answer: NO
FINAL STRAW—A PAY CUT FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS
This could be unlawful
discrimination as it Cut Cut out
out and
and keep
keep
appears p/t & f/t
colleagues are being
treated differently. Ask
your HT to write to you
explaining why you
have to be paid less
Plymouth NUT AGM
27th March
China House
1715—1830
Plymouth Division:
Strike Ballot plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk
01503 240527
Q&A? Regional Office:
CONTACT... south.west@nut.org,uk
01392 258028