The Socialist 24 November 2009 "We wont pay for the crisis" How could full youth employment be achieved? Bristol Youth Fight for Jobs challenges council leader Lessons of struggle: If you fight, you can win! Afghanistan: Brown and Obama scrabbling for an exit strategy Main parties plan cutbacks: It's time for a fightback! Racists - stay out of Wrexham! Successful Manchester Tamil Solidarity meeting People's Charter - a step towards workers' political representation? The battle for state education Socialist Party candidate increases vote in NUT election Education: 'Try your best' is not enough Attacks begin at Bangor University Superdrug workers show industrial action can win victories Postal dispute: Bosses still on the attack Axiom railworkers' strike remains solid Cuts crisis on the Isle of Man Guadeloupe - End the profiteering and exploitation The 1970s, mainly viewed from the top |
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Home | The Socialist 24 November 2009 | Join the Socialist Party Schools paying for the crisisAs the axe of council cuts looms and falls, with public services paying the price for the recession, school support staff are directly in the firing line. An education worker, HuddersfieldJob losses and cuts in hours are widespread. Redundancies are only being avoided in some schools by all support staff 'pulling together' to volunteer hours so that schools can make a saving. We are paying the price, not only as workers but also as parents whose children are losing vital support in their classrooms, dining halls and playgrounds. 'Teaching on the cheap' is already widespread, with teaching assistants leant on to plan, deliver and mark lessons. Taking whole classes to cover for teachers, often for extended periods of time, is commonplace and increasing. Schools are saving money by deploying these low-paid staff to cover teachers' planning, preparation and assessment time, instead of paying qualified teachers to cover this legally required non-contact time for teaching staff. School support staff are pressurised by bullying heads into agreeing to work extra hours, often without pay, at lunchtimes and before and after school, running clubs and activities. A sharp increase in disciplinary cases involving school workers is already evident. Headteachers and governing bodies, in line with other employers, are turning the economic climate to their advantage, acting with a new level of brutality over sickness and misconduct policies. Union organisation of school staff nationally is at best patchy. There are some union branches where a healthy network of members and stewards will enable workers to make their voices heard but there are others where midday supervisors, teaching assistants, caretakers, cleaners, administrators and catering staff are left fending for themselves. It is now more crucial than ever that the vulnerable and fragmented workforce in schools is recruited into the trade unions and organised to defend not only our jobs, terms and conditions but also our children's education. We must fight to make sure that the price for this crisis of capitalism is not paid in schools. In this issue Socialist Party editorial
Marxist analysis: history
Environment and socialism War and occupation
Socialist Party news and analysis
People's Charter
Education
Socialist Party workplace news
International socialist news
Socialist Party review
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