Oswaldtwistle teachers in strike over job cuts

8:24am Wednesday 18th July 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Jessica Cree, Education reporter

TEACHERS at an Oswaldtwistle school are set to go on strike over compulsory staff redundancies today and tomorrow.

Twenty-two members of staff at Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School are taking industrial action after it was announced that 10 teachers — the equivalent of six-and-a-half full-time workers — would be laid off.

The action has been organised by the National Union of Teachers, who said staff were particularly concerned about the circumstances surrounding the redundancies.

Avis Gilmore, regional secretary for the North West at the NUT, said: “Redundancies have been made compulsory in departments where new appointments were made 18 months ago.

We feel that if those appointments had not been made, they would not have been losing their jobs.

“There are issues over how the school have managed their finances and appointing staff when they could see there were financial issues. It is really bad planning. We also have some issues in terms of the appeal panel for those selected for compulsory redundancy, which we don’t feel met the procedure. We will be advising staff on whether they have any legal claims against the school.”

She added that members had taken the decision to strike very reluctantly as they did not want to cause disruption to pupils’ education. The contracts of those selected for compulsory redundancy end on August 31.

Paul Trickett, head teacher, said on the website: “The school will be open as usual for all students on these dates, as no other unions are taking part in this action and the overwhelming majority of staff will be working as normal on the dates in question.”

A picket line will be set up out-side the school from 7.30-9am on both mornings.

Comments (17)

12:36pm Wed 18 Jul 12

2 for 5p says...

Best of luck with the strike. I hoe you don't get many SCABs.
Best of luck with the strike. I hoe you don't get many SCABs. 2 for 5p

1:13pm Wed 18 Jul 12

Rich Riley says...

I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do?
As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils.
I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do? As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils. Rich Riley

6:12pm Wed 18 Jul 12

Over It says...

"As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram."

Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that!
"As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram." Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that! Over It

7:47pm Wed 18 Jul 12

2 for 5p says...

Best of luck unfortunately I won't be in Lancashire tomorrow or I would of come down to give moral support.
I like a good sing song on the pocket lines, scab is a good song , and also a song called the blackleg miner by steeleye span.
Best of luck unfortunately I won't be in Lancashire tomorrow or I would of come down to give moral support. I like a good sing song on the pocket lines, scab is a good song , and also a song called the blackleg miner by steeleye span. 2 for 5p

7:49pm Wed 18 Jul 12

2 for 5p says...

Here's the song

It's in the evening after dark, When the blackleg miner creeps to work, With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt, There goes the blackleg miner!

Well he takes his tools and doon he goes To hew the coal that lies below, There's not a woman in this town-row Will look at the blackleg miner.

Oh, Delaval is a terrible place. They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face, And around the heaps they run a foot race, To catch the blackleg miner!

So, dinna gan near the Seghill mine. Across the way they stretch a line, To catch the throat and break the spine Of the dirty blackleg miner.

They grab his duds and his pick as well, And they hoy them down the pit of hell. Doon ye go, and fare ye well, You dirty blackleg miner!

So join the union while you may. Don't wait till your dying day, For that may not be far away, You dirty blackleg miner!
Here's the song It's in the evening after dark, When the blackleg miner creeps to work, With his moleskin pants and dirty shirt, There goes the blackleg miner! Well he takes his tools and doon he goes To hew the coal that lies below, There's not a woman in this town-row Will look at the blackleg miner. Oh, Delaval is a terrible place. They rub wet clay in the blackleg's face, And around the heaps they run a foot race, To catch the blackleg miner! So, dinna gan near the Seghill mine. Across the way they stretch a line, To catch the throat and break the spine Of the dirty blackleg miner. They grab his duds and his pick as well, And they hoy them down the pit of hell. Doon ye go, and fare ye well, You dirty blackleg miner! So join the union while you may. Don't wait till your dying day, For that may not be far away, You dirty blackleg miner! 2 for 5p

8:35pm Wed 18 Jul 12

Rich Riley says...

Over It wrote:
"As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram."

Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that!
Send your kids to a proper school then where they can get an education. If the kids at this school are sat around watching DVDs then the teachers deserve making redundant.
[quote][p][bold]Over It[/bold] wrote: "As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram." Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that![/p][/quote]Send your kids to a proper school then where they can get an education. If the kids at this school are sat around watching DVDs then the teachers deserve making redundant. Rich Riley

10:17pm Wed 18 Jul 12

ossybsting says...

Rich Riley wrote:
I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do? As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils.
weirdo they only went on strike from 7-30 till 9-00 how does that hinder the childrens education "throwing your toys out of the pram" my **** . go do one
[quote][p][bold]Rich Riley[/bold] wrote: I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do? As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils.[/p][/quote]weirdo they only went on strike from 7-30 till 9-00 how does that hinder the childrens education "throwing your toys out of the pram" my **** . go do one ossybsting

10:22pm Wed 18 Jul 12

Over It says...

Rich Riley wrote:
Over It wrote:
"As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram."

Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that!
Send your kids to a proper school then where they can get an education. If the kids at this school are sat around watching DVDs then the teachers deserve making redundant.
Interesting that you have such strong opinions on ensuring the education of children, when you are functionally illiterate.
[quote][p][bold]Rich Riley[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Over It[/bold] wrote: "As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram." Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that![/p][/quote]Send your kids to a proper school then where they can get an education. If the kids at this school are sat around watching DVDs then the teachers deserve making redundant.[/p][/quote]Interesting that you have such strong opinions on ensuring the education of children, when you are functionally illiterate. Over It

10:25pm Wed 18 Jul 12

Over It says...

Oh, and by the way - the school DID know 18 months ago that there were financial difficulties, and they went ahead and hired more staff regardless. They've also known about falling roles for several years and have done little to prevent redundancies. Why is it that this is the only school in the area suffering from these issues, when every school is impacted in the same way? And why should staff (23 in total, not just teachers) suffer because of it?
Oh, and by the way - the school DID know 18 months ago that there were financial difficulties, and they went ahead and hired more staff regardless. They've also known about falling roles for several years and have done little to prevent redundancies. Why is it that this is the only school in the area suffering from these issues, when every school is impacted in the same way? And why should staff (23 in total, not just teachers) suffer because of it? Over It

9:56am Thu 19 Jul 12

sickntired says...

Over It wrote:
Oh, and by the way - the school DID know 18 months ago that there were financial difficulties, and they went ahead and hired more staff regardless. They've also known about falling roles for several years and have done little to prevent redundancies. Why is it that this is the only school in the area suffering from these issues, when every school is impacted in the same way? And why should staff (23 in total, not just teachers) suffer because of it?
Falling roll numbers are occuring across Lancashire and many schools will be affected in the future due to cuts in funding - the country is in a recession!

The "23 in total" is the number of staff in that school who are members of this particular union and only 5 of them are actually striking. No other unions voted for any action at all.

They are striking for 2 days but the picket line is only manned for 2 hours.

The union is actually paying them to strike.

Plus the vast majority of them have new jobs from September.

What was the point of it?
[quote][p][bold]Over It[/bold] wrote: Oh, and by the way - the school DID know 18 months ago that there were financial difficulties, and they went ahead and hired more staff regardless. They've also known about falling roles for several years and have done little to prevent redundancies. Why is it that this is the only school in the area suffering from these issues, when every school is impacted in the same way? And why should staff (23 in total, not just teachers) suffer because of it?[/p][/quote]Falling roll numbers are occuring across Lancashire and many schools will be affected in the future due to cuts in funding - the country is in a recession! The "23 in total" is the number of staff in that school who are members of this particular union and only 5 of them are actually striking. No other unions voted for any action at all. They are striking for 2 days but the picket line [such as it is] is only manned for 2 hours. The union is actually paying them to strike. Plus the vast majority of them have new jobs from September. What was the point of it? sickntired

2:33pm Thu 19 Jul 12

Over It says...

The point of it is this - 23 staff who currently work there will not be working there in September because of poor decision making and a lack of planning. There are 22 NUT members at the school, a handful of those have lost their jobs - there are plenty more people, both teachers and non-teachers, who have also lost their jobs.

If the workforce planning had been done correctly, then this would have been a non-issue. If policies and procedures had been adhered to, then this would have been a non-issue.

How have so many other schools foreseen the trouble brewing yet this school has not?
The point of it is this - 23 staff who currently work there will not be working there in September because of poor decision making and a lack of planning. There are 22 NUT members at the school, a handful of those have lost their jobs - there are plenty more people, both teachers and non-teachers, who have also lost their jobs. If the workforce planning had been done correctly, then this would have been a non-issue. If policies and procedures had been adhered to, then this would have been a non-issue. How have so many other schools foreseen the trouble brewing yet this school has not? Over It

4:17pm Thu 19 Jul 12

Rich Riley says...

ossybsting wrote:
Rich Riley wrote: I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do? As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils.
weirdo they only went on strike from 7-30 till 9-00 how does that hinder the childrens education "throwing your toys out of the pram" my **** . go do one
Read the article again. The picket line was set up between 7.30am and 9am, the strike is on for two days.
Do you want me to draw you a little picture?
Bless you
[quote][p][bold]ossybsting[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Rich Riley[/bold] wrote: I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do? As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils.[/p][/quote]weirdo they only went on strike from 7-30 till 9-00 how does that hinder the childrens education "throwing your toys out of the pram" my **** . go do one[/p][/quote]Read the article again. The picket line was set up between 7.30am and 9am, the strike is on for two days. Do you want me to draw you a little picture? Bless you Rich Riley

4:18pm Thu 19 Jul 12

Rich Riley says...

Over It wrote:
Rich Riley wrote:
Over It wrote: "As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram." Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that!
Send your kids to a proper school then where they can get an education. If the kids at this school are sat around watching DVDs then the teachers deserve making redundant.
Interesting that you have such strong opinions on ensuring the education of children, when you are functionally illiterate.
All the more reason for the teachers to be in school then!
[quote][p][bold]Over It[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Rich Riley[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Over It[/bold] wrote: "As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram." Because kids at school this week are really doing important stuff... Like watching DVDs... Heaven forbid they should be interrupted from that![/p][/quote]Send your kids to a proper school then where they can get an education. If the kids at this school are sat around watching DVDs then the teachers deserve making redundant.[/p][/quote]Interesting that you have such strong opinions on ensuring the education of children, when you are functionally illiterate.[/p][/quote]All the more reason for the teachers to be in school then! Rich Riley

6:12pm Thu 19 Jul 12

Over It says...

Rich Riley wrote:
ossybsting wrote:
Rich Riley wrote: I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do? As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils.
weirdo they only went on strike from 7-30 till 9-00 how does that hinder the childrens education "throwing your toys out of the pram" my **** . go do one
Read the article again. The picket line was set up between 7.30am and 9am, the strike is on for two days.
Do you want me to draw you a little picture?
Bless you
Does this mean a child's education is hindered any day that their teacher is sick? How dare they be human!!!
[quote][p][bold]Rich Riley[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]ossybsting[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Rich Riley[/bold] wrote: I'm sure the school didn't know 18 months ago that the current economic climate would be as desperate as it is today. The appointments may have been made in good faith but when funding is withdrawn by a council or government then what can they do? As for the striking teachers you should be ashamed of yourselves. Hindering childrens education by throwing your toys out of the pram. Pathetic. Channel your efforts into finding employment rather than disrupting important learning time for the pupils.[/p][/quote]weirdo they only went on strike from 7-30 till 9-00 how does that hinder the childrens education "throwing your toys out of the pram" my **** . go do one[/p][/quote]Read the article again. The picket line was set up between 7.30am and 9am, the strike is on for two days. Do you want me to draw you a little picture? Bless you[/p][/quote]Does this mean a child's education is hindered any day that their teacher is sick? How dare they be human!!! Over It

5:31pm Fri 20 Jul 12

droplot says...

i fully agree .with accyrover it needs a change at the top wrong people have lost their jobs
i fully agree .with accyrover it needs a change at the top wrong people have lost their jobs droplot

6:27pm Fri 20 Jul 12

Over It says...

Whilst a £4000 pay cut is hefty, at least it's a job - more than a lot of other people from that place have to look forward to in September.
Whilst a £4000 pay cut is hefty, at least it's a job - more than a lot of other people from that place have to look forward to in September. Over It

10:52pm Fri 20 Jul 12

droplot says...

its funny some peoples pay is frozen for 3 years and some people have had their jobs changed to save them
its funny some peoples pay is frozen for 3 years and some people have had their jobs changed to save them droplot

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