Canada: Ontario public high school teachers union announces tentative 1-day walkout

América del Norte / Canada/The Canadian Press

– Ontario’s public high school teachers plan to walk off the job for a day on Wednesday in a bid to turn up the pressure during tense labour negotiations with the provincial government.

Harvey Bischof, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, announced Thursday that the one-day strike set for Dec. 4 will only be called if significant progress isn’t made at the bargaining table before that date.

Bischof said the government is still trying to impose mandatory e-learning, larger class sizes and other measures that would degrade the quality of education in the province.

«The erosion of education is happening now,» he said. «We can’t wait any longer for this to continue. We have been driven to this action.»

Education Minister Stephen Lecce noted that the announcement of a strike comes just two days after high school teachers started a work-to-rule campaign.

«Strikes hurt kids,» he said. «For teacher unions to leave the table, to turn their back on our children, and to escalate to the point of compromising their education, is deeply troubling for parents and our government.»

The union said they did not leave the table, and Lecce later said additional bargaining dates have been offered, but haven’t yet been accepted.

The main issue is compensation, Lecce said. The government recently passed legislation capping wage increases for all public sector workers at one per cent for three years, but the union is asking for inflationary increases, which would amount to about two per cent.

If that increase is applied across all teachers, it would amount to $1.5 billion, Lecce said.

«Educators in Ontario are the second-highest remunerated in the country,» he said. «We pay them well and we value their work. But they’re asking for a $1.5-billion increase and we’re offering a $750-million increase.»

Premier Doug Ford said he has confidence that Lecce can reach a deal with the teachers.

«We’re doing everything we can to strike a deal and I think we’ve shown good faith,» the premier said.

Public high school and elementary teachers started an administrative work-to-rule campaign on Tuesday that includes not putting comments on report cards, not participating in standardized testing and not attending certain meetings.

Ontario’s four major teachers’ unions, which have been trying to ink new labour deals since previous contracts expired on Aug. 31., have all expressed frustration with what they say has been a lack of progress at the bargaining table.

The Catholic teachers’ union has talks scheduled Friday involving a conciliator, while French teachers will hold strike votes next month.

High school teachers say their main issues at the table include larger class sizes and new mandatory online learning classes. The government has partially walked back both contentious proposals, but Bischof has said that will just leave the education system «somewhat worse» instead of «much worse.»

The government announced in the spring that it was increasing average high school class sizes from 22 to 28 over four years and requiring four online credits to graduate. In recent weeks, it has offered a class-size increase to 25 instead, and dropped the e-learning requirement to two courses.

But the teachers don’t want any mandatory online courses or any class size increases. They note that the government’s offer of increasing class sizes to the lower target of 25 would also mean local class size limits are removed, essentially allowing the province to see the number of students per class climb indefinitely.

Fuente: https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/6517838/swansea-high-students-meet-with-department-about-teacher/?cs=7573

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Zimbabwe: Teachers Must Show Respect, Stop Illegal Strike – Mumbengegwi

África/ Zimbabwe/ 28 Junio 2018/ Fuente: allafrica.com.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes Simbarashe Mumbengegwi has warned teachers against participating in the job action mooted by their leaders describing it as unlawful and premature.

He said government was committed to negotiations currently taking place between the employer and the civil service body, Apex council, which seek to solve their grievances.

According to the minister, the law demands that there be a record of three futile meetings before union leaders call for job action. His statement this Wednesday claims only two have been convened with the third scheduled for this Friday.

«Therefore any strike action would not only be unlawful but also highly premature. We must give negotiations a chance. The five education unions should show respect for the negotiation process rather than undermining it by being confrontational,» Mumbengegwi said.

«If these five leaders who are threatening to on strike are truly representing the workers then they must abandon the confrontational approach and instead follow dialogue as prescribed by law.»

He said teachers should ignore the call to down tools questioning the intentions of the union leaders.

«Government is therefore calling upon all teachers not to participate in this unlawful and highly premature strike action called for by some of the union leaders who may not have the same agenda of improving conditions of service for teachers.»

The teachers’ representatives are pushing for improved conditions of service including a pay rise and provision of adequate as well as quality tools of trade.

Mumbengegwi called on all Zimbabweans to support government’s efforts to avert the strike.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/201805030003.html#comment
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UK: University lecturers begin strike action over pensions

Europa/ReinoUnido/TheGuardian

Resumen: Decenas de miles de profesores universitarios en disputa por los cambios en sus pensiones se han declarado en huelga en el primero de los 14 días de acción industrial que amenaza con provocar una interrupción generalizada en los campus de todo el Reino Unido. La Universidad y Unión Universitaria (UC), que representa a los conferenciantes en huelga, estima que más de un millón de estudiantes en 64 universidades se verán afectados por las huelgas, que se extienden durante un mes, con la pérdida de más de medio millón de enseñanza horas. Los primeros informes de las sucursales de UCU afirmaron que hubo una buena participación en los piquetes a pesar del clima helado. Para muchos fue su primera vez en una línea de piquete, incluyendo estudiantes solidarios con sus maestros. Una encuesta de YouGov realizada en vísperas de la huelga sugirió que la mayoría de los estudiantes apoyan la acción industrial -a pesar del inevitable impacto en sus estudios- y creen que las universidades son las principales culpables. En general, tres quintas partes de los estudiantes (61%) dijeron que apoyaban las huelgas; la mitad (50%) culpó a los empleadores de la universidad por la disputa que condujo a la acción industrial del jueves; uno de cada cinco (20%) pensaba que el personal y las universidades tenían la misma culpa; y 2% culparon a sus profesores. La huelga parece ser una de las mayores disputas sindicales desde que el gobierno endureció la acción industrial con nueva legislación. La presión ha estado aumentando en Universities UK, que representa a los empleadores universitarios, para volver a la mesa de negociaciones.


Tens of thousands of university lecturers in dispute over changes to their pensions have walked out on strike in the first of 14 days of industrial action that threatens to bring widespread disruption to campuses across the UK.

The University and College Union (UC), which represents the striking lecturers, estimates that more than a million students in 64 universities will be affected by the walkouts, which are spread over a month, with the loss of of more than half a million teaching hours.

Early reports from UCU branches claimed there was a good turnout on picket lines despite the freezing weather. For many it was their first time on a picket line, including students standing in solidarity with their teachers.

A YouGov poll conducted on the eve of the strike suggested that a majority of students support the industrial action – despite the inevitable impact on their studies – and that they think universities are most to blame.

Overall, three-fifths of students (61%) said they supported the strikes; half (50%) blamed the university employers for the dispute that led to Thursday’s industrial action; one in five (20%) thought staff and universities were equally to blame; and 2% blamed their lecturers.

The strike looks set to be one of the biggest union disputes since the government made industrial action harder with new legislation. Pressure has been mounting on Universities UK, which represents university employers, to return to the negotiating table.

The universities minister, Sam Gyimah, tweeted: “For the sake of students and the reputation of our Universities, @ucu and @UniversitiesUK need to find a way through this damaging and avoidable impasse ASAP.”

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, released a YouTube message of support to striking lecturers.

UCU members are striking because they claim that proposed changes to the vast Universities Superannuation Scheme will leave a typical lecturer almost £10,000 a year worse off in retirement, with younger academics facing the potential loss of almost half of their total retirement income.

UUK say the pension scheme is in deficit and the only way to make it sustainable is to change it from a defined benefit scheme, giving members a guaranteed income in retirement, to a defined contribution scheme, where pensions are subject to changes in the stock market.

The UCU insists the existing scheme is performing well and UUK’s determination to push through the changes, and refusal to compromise, has left them no alternative but to strike.

The UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, who was due to address a rally at Goldsmiths, University of London, said: “This poll shows it is quite clear who students think is to blame for the strikes at universities. We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from students and want to assure them we are doing all we can to get this dispute resolved.

“The universities’ refusal to negotiate with us has caused this mess and they owe it to students to start negotiating properly.”

A UUK spokesman said: “Negotiations between UCU and UUK have been ongoing for the past year. The deadline accepted by both parties for making a decision was extended twice.

“During this period, UCU has unfortunately been unable – or unwilling – to alter its position. Unfortunately, the union refuses to accept the seriousness of the financial challenges facing the scheme and the possible consequences for universities and jobs if costs aren’t controlled.”

Fuente:https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/feb/22/lecturers-begin-14-day-strike-over-pensions

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