AMiE Dismay As Opt-Out Stays

Commenting on the fact that Britain’s opt-out of the 48 hour working week is set to continue after talks between MEPs and Ministers broke down, AMiE’s Director of Employment Services, David Green said,

“I find it very disappointing that a Labour government should describe this outcome as ‘protection’ for the opt-out. Surely there is no reason for pride when you are in effect giving employers the green light to continue the long hours culture.

“The 48 hour limit is a safety measure designed to protect workers from the recognised ill health effects of working excessive hours. Yet allowing individuals to opt-out is not only bad for health, it creates a serious barrier to reducing working time and improving worklife balance in our sector. Keeping the opt-out means there is no incentive for employers to look seriously at how work is organised and managed.”

In a survey of members carried out last year ACM found that two out of three members worked in excess of an average of 48 hours per week, and almost 17% worked over 60 a week. The survey also found that four out of five members said they faced excessive demands in terms of workload and targets, a key factor in the cause of work related stress.

TUC Welcomes Equality Bill

Responding to the Equality Bill published this week by Equality Minister Harriet Harman, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said,

“We welcome the Minister’s courage in defying the business lobbyists who say that equality doesn’t matter in a recession by publishing this Bill.

‘Bringing together the dozens of acts accumulated over the last 40 years into a single Equality Act will make it easier for individuals and employers to understand the law.

“But this Bill is more than just a cleaning up exercise. It strengthens the law and gives important new protections to disabled people and their carers, as well as extending rights for older people.

“The new duty to promote equality will encourage the public sector to continue to lead the way in tackling inequalities in the provision of public services.

“We are disappointed that the Government has fallen short of taking bolder steps to close the pay gap, particularly in the private sector where it stands at over 20 per cent.

“However, we welcome the Government’s decision to work with the TUC, Equalities and Human Rights Commission and the CBI to work out more effective ways of identifying how best private sector companies can report on any pay gaps.”

Wales Funding Campaign Success

Members in Wales already know, but on 16 April Deputy Minister for Skills John Griffiths announced an additional 8.93 million for Further Education Institutions (FEIs) and sixth forms in Wales.

This follows repeated lobbying by AMiE and other FE unions in Wales to bring about a change in the Welsh Assembly Government’s harsh financial treatment of the sector.

The effect of this additional allocation is that, in almost every case, FEIs and local authority sixth form provision will be funded at or above the same level for 09/10 as they were for 08/09. With the economic downturn being likely to lead to an increase in demand for post-16 training and adult training places, the extra support will provide funding for at least a further 2,500 places for young people and adults at FE institutions and school sixth forms.

In a good natured and clearly effective joint union campaign, AMiE Members joined lunchtime protests to draw attention to the effects of the original funding settlement, and then took their message direct to WAG on 1 April.

Commenting on the success of the campaign, Brian Thornton, AMiE’s Wales Officer said, “Our widely supported campaign has brought the Welsh Assembly Government to its senses. Further education has stood up for itself, and our voice has been heard.”

One In Four School and College Teachers Experiences Classroom Violence

Nearly one quarter of school and college staff have endured physical violence from a student, and just under 40 per cent have been confronted by an aggressive parent or guardian, according to a survey by AMiE’s partner union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

The survey questioned over 1,000 teachers, lecturers, support staff and school leaders in schools and colleges across the United Kingdom about behaviour issues in the classroom. Over 40 per cent of the respondents felt that student behaviour had got worse the past two years, and 58 per cent believed it had worsened over the past five years. Eighty-seven per cent of staff had dealt with a disruptive student during the 2008-09 school year, and nearly 90 per cent of these cases involved low level disruption such as talking in class, not paying attention or horsing around.

Over a third of respondents in primary schools reported incidents of violent student behaviour such as punching and kicking, compared to 20 per cent of teachers in secondary schools. A primary school teacher in England reported physical abuse from students as young as five years old: “I and other members of staff were physically assaulted daily by a five-year-old (including head-butting, punching etc.). He was taken to the head to ‘calm down’ then brought back to apologise. It became a vicious circle. I was off sick as a result. People often underestimate that young children can be as violent and intimidating as the older ones.”

Another primary school teacher in England said: “A six-year-old completely trashed the staff room, put a knife through a computer screen, attacked staff and we had to call the police. Another six-year-old attacked staff and pupils with the teacher’s scissors.”

Sixth form and FE teachers experienced a higher level of disrespectful behaviour in the classroom, with over 85 per cent of respondents reporting the use of mobile phones during class and students ignoring teachers’ requests.

Most staff regard poor student behaviour as a routine interference during class, with 96 per cent of teachers reporting that poor behaviour had led to a disruption of work for other students. Over a third of ATL members have experienced a loss of confidence after dealing with poor behaviour, and a fifth of staff experienced mental health problems, including stress and anxiety.

“Persistent low-level rudeness and disruption seems to have become a fact of life in education today and no longer raises eyebrows or seems to merit special attention. A sad state of affairs,” said Dr Ian Lancaster, a secondary school teacher from Cheshire.

Teachers generally feel that behaviour policies in their schools are adequate, but say they are not often carried out consistently by staff, so students feel that they are able to get away with bad behaviour in certain situations. Over a third of staff were unhappy with how their school or college dealt with behaviour related problems. A teacher from an independent secondary school in Staffordshire said: “We have a clear behaviour policy, but too often it is not enforced by all members of staff. This sends out a mixed message to students and they know who they can defy and who won’t bother to follow up on incidents of rudeness and contempt.”

Alarmingly, nearly 40 per cent of those surveyed had experienced some form of aggression from a student’s parents or guardians. In most cases this was in the form of insults or derogatory comments, and intimidation such as threats or being sworn at. Although 87 per cent of staff told their school about incidents where students’ parents or guardians had been aggressive, a fifth felt the school did not provide adequate support. Teachers reported that in most cases aggression from parents or guardians is in response to their children being disciplined in class or for their child receiving poor grades.

The behaviour of the parents or guardians is often reflected in the student’s behaviour. A secondary teacher in Bristol, said: “Lack of support of teachers by parents is the most disheartening part of this profession and the thing most likely to make me leave it. Poor student behaviour reflects the standards that they see at home and children cannot be held completely accountable for the values (or lack of) instilled in them at home.”

Some teachers believe that to eliminate poor behaviour in schools it is essential to first find the reasons behind unruly behaviour and then determine a solution, rather than reprimand students after instances of challenging behaviour. ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted said: “It is distressing that poor student behaviour continues to be a widespread problem in schools, and shocking that over a third of teaching staff have experienced aggression from students’ parents or guardians. ATL firmly believes that no member of staff should be subjected to violent behaviour by either students or parents. Parents should be acting as good role models by supporting staff and helping them create a more positive learning environment for their children.”

AMiE Calls on WAG To Overturn Cuts

AMiE and other education unions demonstrated against the cuts in Further Education outside the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) at Cardiff Bay yesterday. Hundreds of staff and students had turned out to demonstrate on April fools day.

Speakers from  opposition parties supported AMiE’s argument that cutting funding from the sector is irrational and should be overturned.

Commenting on the demonstration, AMiE’s Wales Officer Brian Thornton said, “The FE sector has met all the initiatives of WAG over the years, has raised it’s quality profile, and has provided top quality worked based learning, Making cuts in the middle of a recession is just plain madness.”

Even the speaker from the Labour party and Plaid, who are after all the government, agreed with our argument!

Angleo Conti, the chair of the AMiE branch at Swansea College met John Griffiths the deputy minister for skills, along with lay members of the other joint Unions. Angelo was able to make a clear case from a College perspective as to why the cuts needed to be reversed and needed to be reversed now. Swansea College itself is facing a £1.8M deficit and a consequent set of job losses just as it is working towards a merger with Gorseinon College, In other words, doing what WAG wishes it to do!

More information and photos are available on the AMiE website. A news report on the demonstration can be found on the BBC Wales website.

English FE Unions Submit Pay Claim

The six FE trade unions in England are today submitting their claim for a 6% increase in pay for the next pay year (2009/2010), underpinned by a  £2000 lump sum  for the lowest paid . The catch-up claim covers over 250,000 further education workers  including managers, lecturers, learning support staff, cleaners,  caterers, librarians, security and laboratory technicians.

The unions believe that further education workers are at the heart of tackling the recession, as people seek to refresh skills to gain new employment.

Further education staff work some of the longest hours in the UK, but are among the worst paid in the public sector. Lecturers working in further education earn, on average, 6% less than school teachers. Yet 92% of staff work beyond their contracted hours .

Barry Lovejoy, joint trade union side secretary from the University and College Union, said: “With millions of adults looking to retrain during the economic downturn, further education staff have never been more important to this country. It’s time we invested in their skills and paid them a fair wage for the sterling work they do. They work some of the longest hours in the country, yet their pay has risen at a much slower rate than the cost of living. This pay claim goes someway to addressing that shortfall.”

Chris Fabby, joint trade union side secretary and UNISON national officer, said: “A six percent rise will mean approximately £13 extra per week for the average cleaner working in Further education. This is not enough to help workers cope with the cost of everyday essentials such as food and fuel, which are still running high. The lowest paid staff need the protection that a minimum salary uplift gives them.

“The government have spent billions bailing out the bankers. We are not asking for billions. We are just calling for a decent wage increase for some of the lowest paid public sector workers in the public sector.”

Peter Pendle, Vice Chair of the trade union side and AMiE general secretary said, “We are pleased to be supporting the joint pay claim.  We recognise the difficult financial situation faced by colleges because of the capital funding and 16-19 funding allocation fiascos, but we all believe this is a realistic and reasonable claim.  We hope that Association of Colleges  and its members will give it very serious consideration.”