It has been confirmed  that the following unions have called for members to strike in relation to pay and pensions on 10 July 2014.

It has been confirmed  that the following unions have called for members to strike in relation to pay and pensions on 10 July 2014.

NUT

Unison

GMB

Unite

So this could be a large percentage of both teaching and support staff. You can never tell how many staff will actually strike on the day. Our earlier blog talks about what industrial action is so you may want to have a look at that too.

The difficult considerations for school leaders where there is a strike day are:

Do we have sufficient staff to keep the school open?

If the school does stay open, how do we cover classes?

This  is obviously a management decision but please in mind the “Rarely Cover” arrangements in the school teachers pay and conditions document.  Further advice will be available from either your local authority or you HR Provider.

DfE guidelines state:

“In the event of a strike, to Department for Education expects the Headteacher to take all reasonable steps to keep the school open for as many pupils as possible”. However, legally, there is no requirement to deliver the national curriculum on strike days.

With regard to deduction of pay during a strike, the norm is 1/365th of annual salary. With teachers, the Burgundy Book does stipulate this clearly.

Finally, one question that does come up regularly is:

“Can I ask staff in advance if they intend to strike?”  The answer to that is yes you can.  However, they don’t have to tell you although it would be helpful if they did!

 

The DfE do offer further guidance on the internet – click here for more information