Teachers from LIPA Sixth Form College braved today’s icy weather as they turned out for another round of strike action. It comes as the latest in a series of strikes dating back to November last year, called in response to what the National Education Union described as “inefficient management practices and health and safety concerns”.
Staff at LIPA Sixth Form college first walked out on strike on November 26, with further walk-outs in December. They gathered on Upper Duke Street again today, January 8, with plans for further strikes next week and the week following that.
At the picket line today, union member Ian Driver told the ECHO: “They’ve said to us they’re not interested in sitting down and talking about the demands that we’ve put forward. We don’t expect all the demands to go through. There’s some things we want set in stone and in policy, things that we already do. That includes things like treating staff with respect, being transparent about finances. But they say those are impossible.”
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Fellow union member Danny Smith added that a new set of policies had been offered, but that staff “have got to agree to them before we can see them”, and so “none of us have been able to view them yet”.
He said: “We are all creative arts teachers, and for a college that encourages trade union relationships, they have not encouraged any meaningful discussions whatsoever. We haven’t had any contact from the Trust since last year.
“We’ve got another six days of strikes. Three days next week, and three after that. It’s sad now. The show’s being impacts, students are being impacts. Staff are feeling it. But how can we stop when there’s been nothing to say? The only communication we did have was that apparently we were too small to be recognised as a union. Its very bizarre.”
Union members Ian Driver and Danny Smith
(Image: Wesley Holmes)
A LIPA Sixth Form College spokesperson said: “We are disappointed in the actions of the NEU, which fail to take account of the recent progress we have made and the excellent environment we foster at our college.
“We deliver the highest quality student experience and our students’ extraordinary results are testament to this. We continually invest in our facilities (building work will soon start on our £4m extension) and a recent independent health and safety audit found no issues of concern in relation to our policies and processes.
“Our staff are highly valued and we are proud that both academic and professional services staff have received all national pay increases, with teachers and leaders moved to the national standard of School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions while also benefitting from working-from-home opportunities. Our staff policies, which align with sector standards, have also been refreshed to provide additional clarity.
“Our students are our number one priority and we will ensure disruption is kept to a minimum throughout January. In the meantime we continue to have productive ongoing discussions and will continue being open and transparent in responding to any concerns raised.”