Bromley (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Strikes at Bromley’s Farringtons School continue tomorrow, March 4,as staff protest proposed pay cuts and pension changes, demanding fair compensation for their work.
Employees at Chislehurst’s Farringtons School, where parents pay up to £50,000 annually, claim they are being paid less than instructors at other schools and now face more salary and pension cuts.
The school is allegedly employing fire and rehire practices to either remove employees from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme or reduce salaries by 3.48 percent, according to the National Education Union (NEU) and NASUWT.
They contend that these modifications will make it more difficult to find and hire qualified educators.
A newly qualified teacher at Farringtons makes £33,757, which is over £3,000 less than what they would make in a nearby state school, according to the NEU.
The top-paid teachers at the school get £50,534, while those at state schools in outside London make £53,994.
One teacher said,
“We go above and beyond for pupils, but now we’re being asked to take a pay cut, either in our salary now or in our pensions later. It’s incredibly disheartening.”
With 97.5% of NEU members supporting the walkouts, the decision to strike comes after a resounding vote in favor of industrial action.
Employees have already gone on strike once and have scheduled other strikes for March 5, 11, 12, and 13.
The scheduled strike action will occur on Monday and Wednesday, according to confirmation from Farringtons School.
One year group will thus not be going to school on Monday, even if they have been assigned homework to do at home.
On Wednesday, however, it is anticipated that every student will show up as usual.
The picket line last Thursday was “very positive and well attended,” according to the NEU, and the staff’s message is clear: they want their pensions and wages to be safeguarded.
A spokesperson for the union said,
“The planned strike action will go ahead until we have a resolution.
We continue to push for ACAS negotiations and hope the school will take us up on this suggestion.
Our members simply want to be paid fairly for their work, in their salaries now and through a reliable pension scheme when they retire.
It’s simply not acceptable to force them to accept further cuts to their remuneration.
We urge Farringtons to reconsider.”
Given the broader financial strains on independent schools, Farrington’s school contends that the Teachers’ Pension Scheme has become more and more difficult to maintain due to its growing expenditures.
In order to strike a balance between staff compensation and long-term financial stability, the school claims to have been looking into other options.
A spokesperson for Farringtons School said:
“There have been significant increases to the cost of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) over the last few years.
We value our staff hugely and wish to reward them as well as we can.
However, unfortunately the growing cost of the TPS is simply not sustainable, particularly in the context of the other challenges facing the independent school sector.”
They added:
“We are continuing to work hard to bring the matter to a swift and positive conclusion.”
What are the main reasons for Farrington’s teaching strike?
One of the causes of the Bromley Farrington school teacher strike is low compensation and insufficient benefits. In order to increase their financial security and demonstrate the worth of their labor, teachers frequently look for better pay and perks.
In addition, huge class sizes, a shortage of support personnel (such as nurses and counselors), and subpar infrastructure (such as antiquated buildings and insufficient technology) are among the reasons why teachers go on strike.
Some strikes center on more general social justice concerns, such as racial parity, family-friendly housing, and access to services like art and physical education classes.
Strikes may also result from modifications to retirement benefits or pension plans, since these changes may have a substantial effect on teachers’ long-term financial stability.
Teachers may get dissatisfied and go on strike if collective bargaining agreements are not implemented or if promotions are delayed.