Ilford: strike forces school management to back down

Ilford County High School staff on strike, July 2019, photo East London Socialist Party

Ilford County High School staff on strike, July 2019, photo East London Socialist Party   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

After a series of strikes by members of the National Education Union (NEU) over the summer and a threat of more action to come, management at Ilford County High School has agreed to withdraw its unacceptable proposals.

These amounted to imposing a cuts package that would have seen its teaching staff being asked to take on more work with less time to do it in and for no additional pay and, in the case of some, a pay cut.

Glenn Kelly National Education Union (NEU) regional officer said: “Given that Ilford County High School already had one of the lowest spending on teachers per pupil than any other Redbridge secondary school, our members were not prepared to see an attack on their jobs and working conditions and we are pleased that the strike action and support of the parents has forced the school to back down”.

Venda Premkumar the Redbridge NEU branch secretary said: “We warned the school that you can’t keep cutting jobs and simply expect teachers and support staff to pick up the extra work.

“We were not prepared to see out members driven into the ground nor see the children’s education suffer”.