Dear <<First Name>>,
Things are looking good for Tuesday's strike with a number of colleagues confirming that their school will be fully or partially closed and we have begun to receive messages of support from parents and others. Local NUT membership has also gone up as teachers vote with their feet against funding cuts and for national terms and conditions.
I just want to confirm final details for those striking:
- We are running two community events from 10am at East Oxford Community Centre and South Oxford Adventure Playground. These are family-friendly and you are welcome to join us.
- We are asking all striking teachers to assemble from 11am at the Wesley Memorial Hall, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford OX1 2DH for our strike meeting, which will be followed by a march and rally.
- Please bring a packed lunch (we have booked a space to eat in if the weather is bad) and wear a GREEN Stand Up for Education T-shirt if you have one (we will have some for those who don't but supplies are limited). If you don't have one, you might want to wear something else GREEN.
- We expect to have a fair amount of local media coverage on the day and are particularly keen to get across the point about funding. If you would be willing to speak to the media about the impact on your school (publicly or anonymously) please let Gawain know on g.little@executive.nut.org.uk.
- If you are concerned about the personal financial cost of striking, we have a hardship fund available to support those who would face significant financial hardship due to loss of a day's pay. You can apply for support from the fund using the form here.
We have publicity for the day that you can share with colleagues, friends and family here, here and here.
I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday. Thanks for your support for the strike.
Best wishes,
Sarah Carter
Secretary
|
|
What if I can't afford to strike?
Given the threat to pay scales and progression, job security, sick pay and maternity pay, we think the real question is whether you can afford not to strike but we do appreciate that people will have individual circumstances which make taking strike action difficult for them financially. That is why we maintain a local hardship fund to support any member who would not be able to take strike action for financial reasons. If you would like to make an application to the fund, you can download the relevant form here. If you would like to make a donation to the fund, please contact our Treasurer Donald on donaldmcewan@hotmail.com.
Do I need to tell my headteacher whether I am striking?
We write to every school to inform them how many NUT members are being called on to take strike action. Beyond this, there is no legal obligation to pass further information to your headteacher. You cannot be asked as an individual to confirm to your headteacher whether or not you will be supporting the strike. If you are put under any pressure by school management to make a decision, you should contact us immediately. However, some school groups choose to give their headteacher the numbers, though not names, of teachers who have confirmed they will be on strike, in the understanding that this helps the headteacher to take an early decision to close the school for the day. You should speak to your colleagues and get in touch if you would like any advice. We have already had a number of schools who have confirmed to parents that they will be closed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#ThisSchool - The NUT Choir singing for our schools.
|
|
|
|
