Not Just Nigerian Teachers, English teachers are angry too

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Education secretary, Michael Gove

Just monday this week, the Lagos chapter of Nigerian Union of Teachers commenced an indefinite strike action for all public primary and secondary schools in Lagos state due to unpaid wages. According to them, government had not implemented the agreed 27% wage increase. But did you think that you can get that only in Nigeria? Not at all.

The Teachers in England are angry too. According to news report, members of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) have escalated its protest amid anger at the Government. Displayed on its website, NASUWT is the largest teachers' union in the UK and the only TUC-affiliated teachers’ union to represent teachers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.



The National Union of Teachers (NUT) is also set to commence its campaign of action against the UK government on October 3.

Together, These two Unions represent 9 out of 10 teachers in England and Wales. They are furious about pay, pensions, working hours and job cuts.

During the action, teachers will be able to refuse to supervise out-of-hours activities like sports clubs and drama classes, they will only produce one written report a year to parents, they will not submit lesson plans to senior managers, and they will refuse to invigilate mock exams. They will also not be responding to work related emails during school hours.

Chris Keates, NASUWT secretary, blamed the escalation "entirely" on Education Secretary Michael Gove. According to her, "In just over two-and-a-half-years, the actions of the Secretary of State have resulted in over half of teachers considering leaving the profession altogether, specialist teachers losing their jobs, applications for entry into the profession plummeting and teacher morale at an all-time low."


Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, also added: "The united approach of the two unions provides an opportunity to put pressure on the Government to address the continual attacks on the teaching profession. The action we are taking at this stage will have a positive benefit on children's education and restore a balance to the working lives of teachers."