1. DEFENDING EDUCATION PROTECTING TEACHERS
Michael Gove says he is at war with the teacher unions In January 2012 he said that teachers are “happy with failure” and “enemies of promise” We say Michael Gove is waging a war on teachers – and now NUT & NASUWT are fighting back with a joint programme of lobbying, rallies, action short of strike action and strike action

2. THE WAR ON TEACHERS What Gove has done so far:
Pay freeze and real terms cuts in funding
Attack on pensions
Attack on performance management
Forced academisation of schools
Attack on the national pay structure in schools
What he may do in future:
Attack on conditions – limits on hours,
PPA time, protection from cover 

3. THE WAR ON EDUCATION eBacc A level reforms History teaching Phonics
Testing
League tables
Academies
Free schools
Gove vs reality

4. THE RESULT NUT/YouGov survey on teacher morale (Jan 2013)
55% say morale is low or very low
Up 13% since April 2012
77% disagree with pay determination by head teachers or governors
“If anyone says to you that 'staff morale is at an all-time low', you know you are doing something right."
- Ofsted Chief Inspector Michael Wilshaw, Dec 2011

5. PAY – CUT BY 15% UNDER GOVE
During the Coalition Government’s term of office:
Pay freeze for 2011 and 2012
1% limits for 2013 and 2014
Pension contributions up on average by 3.2%
Impact including inflation
Over 15% loss of spending power
Can we afford to stay in teaching?

6. TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE GOVE’s PAY PROPOSALS
THE NEW PAY ATTACKS
End of mandatory pay scales in schools – main and upper scales replaced by ranges, no fixed points
More PRP - all pay progression linked to appraisal and to individual teachers’ performance
Portability of current pay entitlements and UPS status abolished
Head teachers and governing bodies will decide how much to pay new teachers, whether teachers progress and by how much
TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE GOVE’s PAY PROPOSALS

7. WHY GOVE'S PAY PROPOSALS ARE A THREAT TO EVERY TEACHER
Think your head teacher won't want to take advantage by holding down your pay?
Ofsted will be asked to make sure that they do
Think you will progress as fast or faster than now?
Funding pressures or a change of manager could change that
Think you aren’t affected because you’re already at the top of the pay scale?
Further changes could affect every one of us

8. PENSIONS – ALREADY ATTACKED
Pension contribution increases already being imposed
An average 50% hike in the amount you pay for your pension
Completely unrelated to the funding of the pensions scheme – taking money from teachers to pay for the recession
Changes to the pension scheme from 2015 onwards
Pay more – these contribution increases are permanent
Work longer – younger teachers to work to 68 or even longer
Get less – due to lower “career average” pensions and changes to pensions indexation

9. WORKLOAD & WORKING CONDITIONS
Workload and working time remain excessive – but now we face possible threats to:
the working time limits of 195 days and 1,265 hours
the entitlement to 10% PPA time in schools
limits on the obligation to cover
Their statutory force is already removed in academies – now potentially under threat in schools as well
Taking a stand on workload is consistent with regaining our autonomy and professionalism

10. THE NUT/NASUWT RESPONSE
NUT and NASUWT joint programme of lobbying, rallies, action short of strike action and strike action
Regional “Rallies for Education” open to all
Continuation/escalation of action short of strike action
Strike action from June on a rolling regional basis – with national strike action in the autumn if necessary
See details at
But Michael Gove can avoid all this by agreeing to back down and negotiate

11. CONTINUING / ESCALATING ASOS
We can win the withdrawal of Gove's proposals through the threat of national strike action
But a “school by school” strategy as well –
continue and deepen the existing ASOS in schools and colleges
NUT & NASUWT model pay policy / checklist to protect pay scales, pay progression and portability
escalation of action where schools don’t adopt a pay policy compliant with our checklist 

12. GETTING MEMBERS’ SUPPORT
Your Union needs the support of its members 
Talk to your NUT and NASUWT colleagues
Encourage them to write to their MPs – use the facility at
Support the regional Rallies for Education
Build support for ASOS and for strike action when the time comes
Elect a Union rep if there isn’t one already

13. WE ARE WINNING THE ARGUMENT
Most teachers reject Gove
ASOS - protecting teachers but also showing that it is we not Gove who know the value of teaching
The public also rejects his views
eBacc petition – almost 30,000 signatures helped force Gove to withdraw his proposals for the EBCs
We can see off this Government’s attacks on teachers and our education system!