Gill Lee, officer Lewisham NUT (personal capacity The government's STRB report on teachers' pay attempts to further enshrine performance related pay and divide the workforce. The proposal is for a separate pay scale for London teachers who have been militant in demanding a vastly increased London allowance to stem the flow of teachers leaving the capital's schools.
London teachers have spear headed a campaign on pay which it was hoped would spread nationally following two very successful London strike days.
Instead of giving all teachers a decent pay increase, the STRB proposes a 2.9% rise, which is only really equal to 1.9% given the increase in national insurance contributions being imposed this year.
The net effect is a pay rise less than infla••• tion. This will not solve the growing crisis in teacher recruitment and retention across the country.
Nor will the government's proposals for London provide sufficient incentive for teachers to stay in the capital's schools. The proposal is for a new separate enhanced pay scale for London teachers, heavily weighted towards more experienced staff through big increases in the upper pay spine — which can only be accessed through performance related pay.
The pay rise for more experienced teachers is accompanied by advice to Head and Governors about the need to be tougher in allowing teachers to advance on this upper pay spine. teachers applying for entry into the upper pay scale have so far been successful - and the government unsuccessful in ints attempt to make PRPreally bite. divide and rule to further entrench performance related pay, and buy off experienced teachers. of E300 in London while more experienced teachers will gain £3000. Teachers in Outer London and Fringe areas will gain little at all. against demands by the left to call a national one day strike in reponse to the report, but decisive action by the unions is needed to defend teachers' pay and to defend schools from further crisis in recruitment and retention. The vast majority of the concessions to more experienced teachers; action can force concessions for The government is attempting to use Newer teahers stand to get an increase Wiard The national executive of the NUT voted Action forced the Government to make
WES Bitter lessons for London's teachers as New Labour bids to split them off CAN