Wandsworth Urges Teachers To Abandon Strike


"We are calling on teachers to ignore Thursday’s strike call " says Cllr Tracey

The council’s education spokesman Kathy Tracey has called on teachers at the borough’s schools to ignore calls for strike action this Thursday and come to work as normal.

Cllr Tracey said she hoped that members of both the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) would attend classrooms as normal and ensure that the education of local children would not suffer.

She said, “Taking industrial action will cause a great deal of disruption to pupils and parents and there is a risk that teachers will be seen to be more interested in protecting their own interests than they are in supporting their pupils and giving them the education they deserve.

“There are still negotiations going on between the Government and the unions and so it is premature and unnecessary for any strike action to be staged while those talks are still happening.

“It is important that while the talks are ongoing and there is a possibility that an agreement can be reached, that teachers do not allow themselves to be used by unions chiefs who may be seeking to make a wider political point.”

It is expected that unless teachers ignore the strike call many of Wandsworth’s 79 schools will be closed to all pupils, although some, including most of the borough’s special schools will be operating either as normal or at be least partially open.

The council will be publishing details of which schools are affected as soon as the details become available at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/schools, so that parents can make alternative childcare arrangements if necessary. Parents are also being strongly advised to check their school’s website on Wednesday evening and also if possible on Thursday morning.

 

June 30, 2011