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Welsh Labour moves to ditch strike rules in NHS and schools

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Rules making it harder to call strikes in public services will be scrapped in Wales under Welsh Government plans.

Ministers have published a bill to repeal parts of the UK government’s Trade Union Act of 2016.

Welsh Labour has pledged to ditch restrictions on industrial action in the NHS, the fire service, schools and other devolved services.

The UK government said people had “a right to expect protections from undemocratic strike action”.

One key restriction in the Westminster law is to allow strikes only if they are backed by 40% of a union’s members in a ballot.

Welsh ministers have denied seeking to satisfy Labour’s trade union funders, saying public sector employers supported the plans.

The Welsh Government insisted the assembly has the power needed to change the law on taking industrial action, despite earlier rows with the UK government .

The Welsh bill will also overturn changes to the time allowed for union officials to spend on union work, and to the way union members pay their subscriptions.

But it will not overturn a new threshold for turnout in ballots, which requires half of union members to cast a vote before industrial action can take place.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford told BBC Wales it was “absolutely not the case” that Labour was acting in the interest of unions, rather than the public.

“Employers in our public services are in support of the way we are bringing this bill forward,” he said.

“They see that this is the right way to do things for Wales as well.”

He added: “Of course the unions have a legitimate interest in this but the employers and the assembly were both in support of the way we are doing things as well.”

Before the 2016 assembly election, most AMs voted against applying the Trade Union Act to Wales, with only the Conservatives voting in favour.

The UK and Welsh governments disagreed over whether the assembly’s permission was needed before the new rules applied to workers in Wales.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said: “These proposals will do nothing to improve public services in Wales – this is just the union barons calling in favours in return for bankrolling the Labour Party.

“Across Wales, workers are getting sick and tired of being held to ransom by union general secretaries, and they won’t be impressed if this proposed bill leads Wales further down the road towards regional pay scales.”

Mark Reckless, UKIP AM for South Wales East, told BBC Radio Wales that said he supported the UK legislation.

“It strikes me that the union paymasters of Labour are using taxpayers’ money to essentially fund themselves,” he said on Good Morning Wales.

“Trade unions [in] the public sector pay the Labour party money, the Labour party then ensures that money from the NHS goes to pay running the unions in that workplace.

“That is wrong.”

Dominic MacAskill, head of local government in Wales for Unison, told the programme his union considered the Westminster act as “a top-down politicised attack on trade unions”.

“It’s not just the right to take industrial action, its also looking to restrict the ability for trade unions to represent their members in the workplace,” he said.

Mr MacAskill said the act was “going back to the old 80s and 90s approach to trade unions”.

“That’s not how we work in Wales,” he added, saying there was a “progressive consensus” with Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats also opposed to the UK legislation.

The Welsh Local Government Association’s employment spokesman, Councillor Peter Rees, welcomed the proposal, saying: “We respect the work of trades unions and the rights of their members.

“We want to continue to engage with them constructively to support and sustain local government services in Wales.”

‘Undemocratic strike action’

A UK government spokesman said: “We will examine the Welsh Government’s proposed legislation when it is introduced, but we remain clear that decisions over industrial relations law are a matter for UK Government.

“Ordinary working people have a right to expect protection from undemocratic strike action and the Trade Union Act will do just that.

The Welsh Government will have to explain to the Welsh public why it wants to repeal this.”

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Forcing kids to learn about gender and white privilege is indoctrination – schools should stick to facts & the three Rs

by www.thesun.co.uk Leave a Comment

REMEMBER when the priority of our schooling system was supposed to be “education, education, education”?

Today it’s “indoctrination, indoctrination, indoctrination” schools seem to be in the business of.

There is too much focus on race , too little reading and writing — and when it comes to lesson plans, too much gender on the agenda.

Parents increasingly find themselves locking horns with teachers turned social-justice activists.

It emerged this week the parents of a London teenager are at loggerheads with teachers at their daughter’s school after being barred from seeing lesson plans.

They are fighting for the legal right to see “secret” lessons their daughter has been taught on issues such as white privilege — the idea that people with white skin are born with social and economic advantages over those who are not.

Failed in the basics

This comes after the school, Haberdashers’ Hatcham College in South East London, reportedly denied the parents access to the materials used to teach their daughter.

So, let me get this right.

You’re forced to pay exorbitant taxes to prop up our bloated, ineffective education system, you then send your children off to school, at risk of prosecution if they don’t turn up, and you don’t even get a right to see what the predominantly lefty teachings are feeding your children?

You couldn’t make it up.

I see two major problems here.

Firstly, teachers should not be using precious learning time to brainwash kids about nonsense US theories on race and gender gibberish as if it is sacred truth.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has said as much.

Last October he warned: “Schools should not teach contested theories and opinions as fact and this includes contested views about white privilege.”

This came after he was given a dossier by the Free Speech Union warning that the teaching of things like white privilege and micro-aggressions was “rife” in schools.

With identity ideology running rampant in classrooms, you would think we had already mastered every other core topic that teachers are supposed to be teaching, like — oh, I don’t know — reading and writing.

Wrong. Last September, Government figures showed 200,000 pupils would be entering secondary school unable to read properly.

Maths is no better. One in five leave primary school without having reached the expected standard.

Under these dire circumstances, not a single second should be dedicated to dubious race and gender theories when children are being failed in the basics on such a massive scale.

DANGEROUS IDEAS

And don’t get me started on the idea that kids should be taught that white children are endowed with some special, mystical privilege.

Tell that to the white working-class boys who perform worse in British schools than almost any other ethnic group.

As inconvenient as this is to lefty victim-mongers, this is irrefutable fact.

I know this because I’ve spent years poring over the stats, not least when I recently sat on the Government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

Publicly paid teachers squandering finite classroom time on woke drivel is not only misleading and pointless, it’s perverse and downright wrong.

The second problem is this: While parents are allowed to ask to see their children’s lesson plans, schools are not legally obliged to provide them.

Schools can hide behind the cloak of legal immunity when they are subjected to accusations of “secret lessons”.

How can this be right?

You should not have to write a softly worded letter to kindly request knowing what your own kid is being taught when you drop them off at school.

Schools should be completely at the mercy of parents when it comes to demands for transparency around teaching.

Teaching materials and lesson plans should be dished out speedily and without contest any time a parent requests one — and that should be enshrined in law.

That is why it is right that Baroness Morris of Yardley, a former Labour Education Secretary, has tabled an amendment to the Schools Bill to give parents the legal right to see what their children are being taught.

Mr Zahawi has made it clear that teaching children disputed ideas as fact is completely unacceptable.

He should go even further and confirm the law will be firmly on the side of parents who are concerned about identity politics propaganda in schools .

If he doesn’t, the infiltration of these dangerous ideas in classrooms will continue to be spread by the army of ever-more woke teachers.

Wayne Rooney’s agent ‘under investigation by FA for handing over £1.6m cheque to pay May wages at crisis-club Derby’

by www.thesun.co.uk Leave a Comment

WAYNE ROONEY’S agent is reportedly under investigation by the FA for handing over a £1.6million cheque to cover Derby’s wages in May.

The Telegraph claims Paul Stretford is “cooperating” with FA beaks after the sum was allegedly paid to assist Chris Kirchner with his takeover.

The American’s attempts eventually failed.

And the claimed intervention may have breached regulations over conflicts of interest due to Stretford’s close ties with then-Derby boss Rooney .

If found guilty by the FA, Stretford could get a fine and even have his licence suspended.

The Telegraph adds that Stretford, who is also the agent of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, is “understood” to have already told the FA he did make the payment.

But that was because he was acting in Derby’s best interests as some staff went unpaid during Mel Morris’ tenure.

Stretford’s agent said: “There’s no comment available at the moment.”

The FA said: “There’s nothing to add.”

Meanwhile, Derby’s takeover by David Clowes could go through this week.

It means there will be no further points deduction as the Rams look to earn promotion from League One.

But they will have to do it all without Rooney at the helm .

The Man United and England legend quit his position as news of Clowes’ successful bid filtered through.

Rooney is now set to return to school and complete his coaching badges.

Liam Rosenior is now in charge of Derby on an interim basis.

But Rooney could be back on screens shortly as Sky, BT, BBC and ITV battle to land him as a pundit.

Tube and train strikes set to wreak havoc at start of school summer holidays

by www.telegraph.co.uk Leave a Comment

The prospect of summer travel chaos intensified on Friday when London Underground workers voted for a series of strikes that will coincide with the walkout on the railways.

Union bosses will meet in the coming days to decide on the next course of industrial action on the national rail network and in the capital. The same RMT committee decides the dates for both strike actions and can co-ordinate to cause maximum disruption.

Ministers believe that the RMT, which must give two weeks’ notice for strikes, will target the school summer holidays, with the likeliest days for stoppages earmarked for the third or fourth weekend of July.

Those strikes will, in turn, likely be timed with a mass walkout of British Airways ground staff at Heathrow Airport that is targeted at the summer getaway.

London Underground workers went out on strike on Tuesday , on the first day of the national rail strike, bringing the capital to a standstill and knocking hundreds of millions out of the night-time economy.

But the six-month mandate for Tube strikes , obtained in January after a vote, had expired forcing the RMT to reballot its members. A little over half of the 10,000 members turned out to vote, of whom more than 90 per cent voted for fresh London Underground strikes.

However, Transport for London (TfL), which runs the network, pointed out that in total just 48 per cent of members had voted to strike – 4,912 out of 10,056 eligible to cast a ballot. A TfL spokesman said that the RMT’s mandate had been achieved “by a whisker” and said the decision to strike was “disappointing”.

The RMT said that no date had been set for fresh strikes , but confirmed that its national executive committee would decide the length and timing, allowing the actions to be co-ordinated.

The national rail strike is over pay, jobs and working conditions, while the TfL strike is concerned with pensions and job cuts . London Underground workers secured an 8.4 per cent pay rise in March.

Mick Lynch, the RMT’s general secretary, said: “Transport for London and the Mayor of London need to seriously rethink their plans for hundreds of job cuts and trying to take hard-earned pensions from workers who serve the people of London on a daily basis.”

Ahead of Saturday’s third day of national rail strikes , authorities issued a fresh alert to train passengers not to travel over fears that many are reluctant to abandon leisure trips planned for the weekend.

Only a fifth of services will run and half of lines will be closed as 40,000 RMT members at Network Rail and 13 train operators walk out for the third day this week.

Operators are telling passengers they should “only travel by train if necessary” and to check their journey in advance.

Many commuters were able to avoid the disruption caused by strikes on Tuesday and Thursday by working from home.

However, people with long-standing plans to travel by train on Saturday – such as for a day trip or holiday, a visit to friends or relatives, or to attend an event – may be keen to press ahead with their trip despite the industrial action.

A rail industry source said that while stations were “relatively quiet” during the first two strike days, there is “a nervousness” about what will happen on Saturday.

Many seaside resorts will have no services on Saturday, including Bournemouth, Blackpool, Margate, Llandudno and Skegness. Cornwall will also have no trains. Disruption will continue into Sunday.

Steve Montgomery, the chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said: “We are very disappointed that the RMT leadership has decided to continue with the strike, and the union leadership has chosen to take action which will severely inconvenience the millions of people who had plans over the weekend.

“While we are doing our best to minimise disruption to passengers, our advice is to only travel if it is necessary, and if you are going to travel, please plan ahead.”

Andrew Haines, the chief executive of Network Rail, said: “Unfortunately, the RMT’s decision to carry out another day of needless and premature strike action means our passengers will suffer again on Saturday.”

This week’s strikes are estimated to have cost the rail industry up to £150 million in lost revenue and the consequences of aborting planned upgrade work. The hospitality industry has suggested that the strikes wiped half a billion pounds from the night-time economy.

Other rail unions have threatened further strikes. The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) served notice to ballot its members at Greater Anglia for strike action and action short of a strike over pay, conditions and job security.

The union is demanding a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies for 2022, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase which reflects the rising cost of living.

Voting starts on June 29, with the result due in mid-July, so the earliest date that strike action could take place is July 27.

The TSSA is also balloting its members in Network Rail, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, Northern, LNER, C2C, Great Western Railway and TransPennine Express.

The State Of Teacher Pay: Michigan Ranks 41st In Nation For Average Starting Salary

by detroit.cbslocal.com Leave a Comment

Right now, schools across Michigan are working to fill open teaching positions in time for the start of the school year, and pay is a main factor in attracting teachers to fill those positions.

WSBT 22 Operation Education reporter Kristin Bien reports on the state of teacher pay in Michigan.

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New numbers released this year by the National Education Association show educator pay by state.

In Michigan, the average teacher starting salary is around $37,820 dollars a year.

Michigan ranks 41st in the nation for average teacher starting salary, which is worse than all other surrounding states.

John Ritzler is not a teacher right now, but he was.

“People don’t go into education to get rich and retire early,” said Ritzler. “People go into education because they want to work with kids and they want to make a difference.”

That is why he got emotional when we sat down with him to talk about the state of teacher pay.

“Pay is not the only factor that is important, it is a factor that is important.”

Ritzler is the superintendent at Cassopolis Public Schools and since he took the job, six months ago, he has already had to hire a new teacher and he will have to hire at least one more this summer.

“If you come in with zero experience, straight out of college, we are just under 40 thousand dollars,” said Ritzler.

That’s actually higher than the average teacher starting salary in the state.

Still, that starting pay in Cassopolis, and throughout Michigan, is making it difficult for some school districts to fill open teaching positions.

“I’ve been in contact with some of our recent grads in the last week or so and they talk about what a big impact teacher pay makes on their decision where they go,” said Steven Mast, director of student teaching at Saint Mary’s College.

Student teaching is the last stop in college before teachers get their teaching license and it’s when students get a real look at the job ahead and the pay that will one day come with it.

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“Teachers need to be supported so they need to be valued with pay, I know other things our teachers look for is a community where they are nurtured,” said Mast.

Ritzler says having a stable teaching community where teachers know they are cared for is an attractive feature school districts.

According to numbers from the Michigan Department of Education, Cassopolis Public Schools average teacher salary is $41,420.

It is the lowest average teacher salary in the county and one of the lowest in southwest Michigan.

“What could be tilting that number is average salary is going to be based largely on the age of your staff and I will say we have almost half of our teachers that are in the first year of teaching,” said Ritzler. “We are going to have a huge chunk of teachers that are making less money because they are at the very beginning of their careers.”

Ritzler says Cassopolis teachers with more experience can make over $60,000.

In addition to this, he says, there are other benefits the district offers to attract teachers like bonuses, merit pay, more health insurance coverage, tuition reimbursement, and higher pay for a master’s degree.

“So, there are a lot of other benefits that we are able to build in that not every district can, which is helpful, except for younger teachers, don’t really look at those things,” said Ritzler. “They just look at starting salary.”

It is why Ritzler says changing the state of teacher pay in Michigan should be a top priority.

So, districts like Cassopolis can not only attract new teachers but also keep them.

“It is also important that teachers feel valued because they are paid and paid an honest wage, but just that they feel valued as teachers,” said Ritzler.

According to numbers from the National Education Association, the average teacher salary for existing teachers in Michigan is $64,262.

That is below the national average but still puts Michigan 17th in the nation for average existing teacher pay.

The NEA report says that adjusting for inflation, the average teacher salary has actually been decreasing since 2012.

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