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THE 75TH EDITION FOR ALL PLYMOUTH TEACHERS JANUARY 2008

THE NUT: “We work up to a standard not down to a price”

MPs to vote on Your pay “rise”
their own this month is
inflation-busting
pay rise !!
- 1.5% Boys should play with
weapons—what do we think?

NUMBER
CRUNCHING SO WHY IS A MONTH-
• Inflation is 4%
• Food inflation up 14%
ON-MONTH PAY CUT
• End-of-year bonuses
in financial firms a SOMETHING I SHOULD
colossal £14 billion
• Plymouth house prices
rise by 9% in 2007
WORRY ABOUT?
• Rail fares up again
Our pay is losing its value every day—and a below
• Electricity & gas inflation pay rise of 2.45% will not restore it to the
prices to rise by at level of even last year—only a rise matching today’s
least 17% Retail Price Index of 4% would do that! See page 3
• Council tax rise will for more information
be at least 5% • With below inflation pay “rises” retiring teachers will see their
• Average pay rise >4% pensions worth less. They will never catch-up
• Petrol near £5 a gallon • The RPI is the more reliable measure of inflation and it’s the one
• Bank interest rates are the government uses to increase pensions
falling but the cost of • And did you know NQTs are working for about £9 an hour—some
borrowing expected to even less?
go up! • Teachers deserve to be properly paid professionals
• A 2.45% rise [then 2.3% for 2 years] is still an unjustifiable pay cut
Independent of Government and not affiliated to any political party
 A member writes, “I am hoping that within the remit of
Teachers Pay they will be covering the problems that supply
teachers are having. We are effectively being made redundant
by stealth as most cover is now being done by TAs, LSAs and
HLTAs! I was unable to earn enough last year and am seriously
considering leaving the profession to go back to business
admin.
I only qualified in 2002 and I am already thinking of leaving
the profession....... what does that say about the Government's
policy on education?

FREE 1GB USB MEMORY

STICK for every NQT
—just email your membership
The recruit a friend number and school address to get yours!
or colleague draw was won by
Maggie Jones
plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk
CONGRATUALTIONS! John Illingworth in
Plymouth
Talking about the
experiences of teachers
reported in his extensive
research and candidly
about his own break-
down due to the pressure
of work and stress he
suffered as a primary
HT, John Illingworth
spoke movingly to NUT
members in November.
CRAZY ABOUT WORK
John with Jeff Gale He was interviewed by Plymouth Sound
and held a meeting with the Deputy
Leader of Plymouth City Council Cllr
Ted Fry [an ex-HT and NUT member].
John explained that teachers often tried
John is to work harder and harder to overcome
interviewed their own loss of confidence or to meet
by local the bullying demands of their
radio managers. HTs similarly suffered from
the target-ridden regime of league
You can receive your own copy of tables, OfSTED and untried and untested government
initiatives. John’s advice was to seek help early and talk to
John’s report CRAZY ABOUT family and friends and the NUT of course. John has told his
WORK and a pamphlet about story on national radio and TV but the government seems
bullying in schools by emailing: reluctant to acknowledge his findings...John emphasised that it
takes time to recover but recognising the problem was the first
plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk step. We are extremely grateful for his advice.
“We need a union not in partnership with government but in partnership with teachers”
 STANDBY FOR
ACTION!
Steve Sinnott said, “Any award in 2008
below the RPI will not do for teachers.
Teachers’ pay must not be cut further.
Losses to inflation must be restored. The
2008 increase must mark a return to
professional levels of pay commensurate
with the importance of education to the
future of our society.”
What has happened to my pay?
For two years running you have had a pay rise below the cost of living. In September 2006 pay increased by 2.5% but
inflation was 3.6%. In September you received another 2.5% but inflation was over 4%. Don’t be surprised if you’re
feeling the pinch.
Would a 4% rise increase inflation?
Any economics student would fail their course if they linked public sector pay with an increase in inflation. The public
sector pay bill has a minimal effect—it’s the increases in energy, housing, transport and raw materials costs that
count.
On paper my salary doesn’t seem too bad but I am struggling to pay my way. Why?
It isn’t just price rises. Interest rates have increased four times and by 20% in the last 12 months. That means any
loans, debts or overdrafts you have will be costing you more. Mortgage rates have increased repeatedly too, so the
cost of housing will be taking up an ever greater amount of your income. Gas, water and electricity prices have risen
by around 12% and are going up again this month.
Why does the NUT talk about ‘broken promises’ and ‘a breach of honour’?
The government promised that, if the cost of living reached an average of 3.25% in the last 12 months, they would
look again at our 2006/7 award and consider a backdated increase. In June they went back on that promise. The
government’s use of “3.25%” as the trigger for the pay review recognised the RPI as the better inflation measure.
Are all teachers affected by the pay freeze?
Absolutely—though often in different ways—young teachers are very badly affected by the rise in house prices. In
2007 housing was unaffordable for teachers in 78% of towns compared to 45% in 2002. For more experienced
teachers the effect of the move to TLRs has been to reduce pay for up to 50 000 people. A recent survey by the
Review Body showed that 30 000 less teachers have allowances or TLRs than in 2004 and this is expected to
increase when safeguarding expires in December 2008.
What can we do about this?
If you believe you’re paid too much and your salary needs to be pegged back—do nothing. However, if you know your
salary is being eroded and you want to do something about it VOTE YES FOR STRIKE ACTION. Do all you can to
support the Union’s campaign to win decent increases for teachers. Most important is the need to raise the profile of
pay in the staffroom. Being a properly paid professional is a right not an aspiration.
What is the Union prepared to do?
As the Secretary of State has announced his intention to keep teachers pay rises below the RPI for the next 3 years
the National Executive of the Union will meet on 24th January to draw up plans to ballot members for national strike
action. It is absolutely vital that members are well-informed about the pay situation and prepared for the ballot. Please
ensure that they see and read this newsletter and other union material on pay—above all, talk to colleagues.
But isn’t it worse in the private sector?
This is a very common myth. A few facts: private sector pay increases averaged 4.3% last year. Bonus payments
increased by 30% and reached a total of £14 billion in 2007—an all time high. The pay of chief executives of the top
100 companies went up by 37% last year after increases of 28% and 16% in the previous 2 years.

PREPARE TO DEFEND TEACHERS’ PAY

 New Academy schools can
impose extra
directed time and reduce
your holidays —just
thought you’d
like to know...
LGBT HISTORY MONTH
Plymouth NUT have worked with PCC to
produce a local LGBT History Month Pack
which will be distributed to all schools in the
authority. It contains information about
LGBT history, local contacts and lesson
plans to be used during History Month and
afterwards.
Regional Secretary Andy Woolley said,
“This is an excellent initiative which
shows how NUT Divisions can work
with their LAs to make a real
difference. The Plymouth pack is some-
thing which I hope will be taken up by
other LAs in the South West and
nationally.”
Holocaust Memorial Lecture by survivor Solly
Irving at Tamarside CTC for an hour on 23rd
January from 1600. Refreshments provided.
Call in on your way home—all teachers and Why does the government persist in using the
support staff welcome to this important event. Consumer Price Index [CPI] rather than the Retail
Price Index [RPI]? Simply because the CPI doesn't include housing or costs—the
RPI does so you can see why it's a better measure of inflation.
The STRB Report means—that an M1 salary needed to increase by £805 to maintain its
2007 value—it will only go up by £493—a loss of £312.
A UPS3 salary needed £1371 to maintain its buying power; it will only increase
by £840—a loss of £531 or more than £44 a month.
Is this fair?
Past and future losses should be welcomed by no one and the lower increases
planned for 2009 and 2010 are a continuing concern—who knows what petrol,
electricity and gas prices or interest rates will be in 2010...
FAIR PAY FOR TEACHERS!

Ed Balls A member writes, “Do I have to set

work for my TA to deliver when I have
considers
my PPA time?”
his PM Answer: NO—it’s about workload
targets... reduction...
Plymouth Division:
plymnut@teacher.clara.co.uk
01503 240527
Regional Office:
south.west@nut.org,uk
01392 258028