Teachers’ school closure threat

Date published: 14/04/2008

An historic agreement could see swathes of Rochdale schools close when members of the National Union of Teachers strike later this month.

Four unions have joined forces to sign a pledge stating they will do nothing to undermine any strike action taken by one another.

Copies of the protocol - one of the first in the North-West - have been sent to head teachers ahead of the one-day national walk out by the NUT on 24 April.

This means that members of the two other teaching unions, ATL and NASUWT, along with the support staff in Unison, will not work a reorganised timetable.

They will not take extra pupils from a class whose teacher is on strike, cover a class for a striking colleague, set work for pupils of a striking teacher or do any extra break, after-school club and bus duties.

The protocol is accompanied by a letter from the NUT which adds: “In these circumstances many head teachers will take a professional decision to close the school for the day on health and safety grounds following a risk assessment. The NUT would offer support to all head teachers who take this decision.”

The industrial action will be the union’s first national strike in 21 years.

It comes after the union rejected the Government’s 2.45 per cent teachers’ pay deal this year, with further rises of 2.3 per cent in 2009 and 2010.