management are trying to cut costs in several schools in Camden, north London—provoking disputes.
Seven of Camden’s nine secondary schools have pledged to remove recruitment and retention payments (R&R) from new staff in September and all staff by 2014.
There is also planned restructuring that will mean redundancies—in addition to the cuts to central services.
The cuts are at odds with the government’s claim that they are protecting school budgets.
But there is good potential to win these disputes—none of our schools are in a financial crisis and we had a successful strike on 30 March.
Management’s proposals consist of cutting teachers’ pay even though spending on senior management has far outstripped increases in staff pay over the last decade.
Teachers’ pay will be reduced by about 6 percent—on top of a two-year pay freeze and proposed increase in pension contributions.
If we lose these battles then teachers’ pay will be cut by 20 percent in real terms in the next two years. We are not prepared to accept these attacks.
Bosses are obsessed with making cuts
Another year of inaction from our rulers
