Strikes. Are you with them or not?

[Jay]

Nail on the head, despite having 13 weeks a year holiday the majority of that is taken up with planning/marking/writing schemes of work/creating resources. Personally in an average weeks holiday I end up having 2 or 3 days off maximum, at least an entire day of every weekend is taken up with preparation for the following week.

I leave the house at 7:30 every morning and often don't get in until gone 5 to then spend 2 or 3 hours each evening working. On average I spend around 10-12 hours a day working through the week and 4 or 5 hours at the weekend, which is around 60 hours a week, as Mitching says we don't get paid overtime. So who ever wants to say that teachers are work shy parasites can go f*ck themselves.

My wife easily works that number of hours if not more, is out of the house by 7am most days, often not back till 6pm, does on avergae 500 miles a week driving to go to and from meetings and earns considerably less than a teacher and has to contribute a lot to her pension, has had no pay rise in 3 years and all bonuses suspended.

Still feel hard done by?

Nick

Bosh!

I swear these Public sector workers think us Privates get out of bed at 9 and are home by 4 

I'm out the house everyday at 7:30 to get to work for 8:30ish and most days don't get back till gone 7pm. holidays? What holidays? I get basic amount of holidays every year, a week taken off for xmas straight off so that leaves me with even less to use for days off. I have 17 days to choose from every year, this year I can't even take time off during the school holidays to spend with the kids because my boss is off for the entire time because his wife to be is a teacher and they're getting married so they've BOTH got the holidays off, leaving me with no time to spend with the kids. Great init.

and a killer blow as to why I am ABSO-BLOODY-LUTELY against the strikes and for the change in pensions and retiring age is this :
http://timothyhughes.visibli.com/share/FLDNMt

I'm sorry? what was that you said? I can't hear you, you seem to have pile of money blocking your voice whilst it's building up around you for when you retire. STFU and live in the real world.

[The Doc]

NOT with them.

Just went to renew my trade plates - but I can't as they are striking 

[Mikester]

I think anyone that has something, that is then taken away from them has the right to be annoyed.

Doesn't make the situation right though.

The government could probably afford to give the whole country better pensions if it didnt give billions away to other countries in aid that then gets spent on weapons instead.

[Kerrse]

I think anyone that has something, that is then taken away from them has the right to be annoyed.

Doesn't make the situation right though.

The government could probably afford to give the whole country better pensions if it didnt give billions away to other countries in aid that then gets spent on weapons instead.

Yes but they buy the weapons from us so the money is recycled lol

[JC]

i best not comment 

but at the end of the day, EVERYONE is having to make cuts / sacrifices including the Forces before anyone starts - including the way pensions are  paid etc

Suck it , get on with it and just be thankful you got a fooking job in the first place  - Simples 

[bobotheclown]

we are all feeling the pinch and public sector workers have been sheltered from the economic crisis for far too long. I don't agree with the strikes

[Guy]

i think everyone has to have a bit of understanding, from both sides

yes teachers work hard, get a lot of abuse, but then so do PLENTY of other professions.. and becoming a teacher was THEIR CHOICE

teachers also get bags more paid holiday than a lot of other professions

conversely... if you take your child out of school FOR ANY REASON this is highly frowned upon as it breaks up the continuity of their education... but teachers think it is acceptable to contravene this at very short notice. very hippy critical.

we decided NOT to take my others halfs 7 year old out of school for a weeks holiday due to the amount of tut-tutting and frowning-upon this would have caused... consequently the cost of air fares and accommodation has DOUBLED because we are going away in the school holiday. We will NOT be making the same poxy mistake next year.

[AlexMozza]

I just think that at this time everyone has to make cuts here and there, logical place to start is the public sectors inc teachers.
It may be incovenent for them, but it will benifit the country

[DubFan]

We are all feeling the pinch and everyone is having to work till a later retirement age. So it's only fair that everyone does the same.
But the change in contributions and how much pension you will receive when you retire make a huge difference.
We had the same issue in my company. They wanted to change the pension scheme so that we paid more and they paid less and then ended up with a smaller pension when we retired. Our unions organised a strike which forced management into negociations and we got a slightly better deal out of it.
So I would say it's worth striking for that reason.

But as for pay/pension, teachers are not the worst off in the country.

Think about all the childcare workers. They work normal hours (8-5 or 9-6 usually), have to deal with screaming kids and babies, mess, nappies and obnoxious parents but get paid only £15,000 even if they are qualified to degree level. There's no pension scheme and they have no union representing them.
These are the people that look after the country's kids enabling parents to go to work and earn money. If they didn't work, a huge number of parents would have to stay at home and look after their own kids.

[The Doc]

Suck it , get on with it and just be thankful you got a fooking job in the first place  - Simples 

Chuff for PM - you'd get my vote