CovTech
Lvl 41 Alchemist
I didn't think any boards did practical exams anymore
Just the required pracs to cover the skills and exam questions in the summer based on these pracs
"3.3% is a good deal !"
- Thread starter BlackPud
- Start date
Just the required pracs to cover the skills and exam questions in the summer based on these pracs
But would that have any effect on the government? It would be painful for school science departments, sure, so the teachers involved would struggle to manage the new workload during the strike and maybe the SLT would have to shift resources around. But teachers and SLT aren't the ones being negotiated with, it's the government who need to make a larger pay offer. Disruption to exams or quality of teaching just isn't going to make an impact on the public in a way that will make them want increased pay for technicians over any other cause. Strikes work by causing enough disruption to make things politically painful for the government, but I'm afraid to say that doing that requires a lot more bargaining power than we really have.
Not sure we are actually "negotiating" to be honest. We've just been told 3.3% is the full and final offer. Similarly, we are not talking to UK Govt and nor do the teachers as such. It's the employers that need to fund these, normally out of existing budgets, and anyone in a Trust is arguably in a slightly better position with the Trusts not having to follow the pay scale (though that can work against people as well).
So what (if there is one at the minute) is the solution ??
I don't expect much will start to change until and if the SSSNB actually gets up-and-running. So your pay is likely already decided until then with 3.3% this year and two years of 3% after that.
UNISON voting for potential strike action sends a message but that's it.
Not at all concerned about myself. But I am seriously concerned about the Science Technician role and its grim-looking prospects.
Hope everyone has a good last week (for those it applies to).
A large majority of support staff do not join a union, so if those of us who have, go out on strike we are loosing money for the day and also paying union subscriptions, everybody gets same pay award. Needs to be a higher percentage of support staff in a union to ever make a difference.
Zoology Dragon
General Factotum
Many countries with stellar science reputations, across the world, manage quite well with out school science technicians.
There are practical exams here in Wales (WJEC) which will continue when our new GCSE is introduced.
GCSE Applied Science in November, Applied, Double & Triple in January and the 3 A-Levels in April / May.
You've got to think that at some point you will hopefully retire or are you going to work forever? I will have done 34 years when I plan to retire, mainly as a top of the scale 37/52 week Senior Tech. Some of my pension is final salary and I qualify for all the bits that have been added eg the McCloud remedy and some of the 85 year rule. I will get less than £1000 a month from my works pension so need a state pension to have a reasonable standard of living or do you think I should just sit in a chair with a remote and a big blanket in winter because I can't afford to put the heating on?
All I can say is that the email I got from Unison was clear that negotiations had finished with employers, the conclusion being that employers could not fund a higher pay offer so both parties would be making a joint negotiation with the government. This should not come as any kind of surprise to anyone who has been remotely aware of the state of the education sector for the last decade.
I don't know if you are getting different information to me, I haven't even been balloted for strike action, but it sounds to me that negotiations are still ongoing. Again, I will repeat my point that the government will not respond to a strike unless the public see it as a deprivation they can't stand for and demand movement from the government, that's the only way that public sector strikes can succeed. If you want that to be the case, a public pressure campaign is more beneficial at present than a strike.
When talking about striking and the effect that a strike could have you need to remember it would not just be science techs striking. It would be support staff in general, as well as some council workers. According to google the NJC covers 1.4 million members of staff in england wales and northern ireland.
The general public won't support us, they already think we all get 'paid time off' for the school holidays and a cushty 9-3pm work day, simply because we work in a school. It would require educating them about different school roles than just teachers contracts. One to one, when you discuss with people/friends/family and explain what you do, they are surprised how much responsibility we have and also how little we earn. I spent 23 years of my tech career working a full-time contract and every time people would be put back by me saying I'm in working during the school breaks, and would ask, "but what do you do if the kids aren't there?" must be nice to get paid to do nothing.
All the posts on facebook under anything about the teachers pay deal was what about TAs, everyone thinks we are all TAs
Yes, but many of their teachers have decreased teaching hours in order for them to do their practical preparation so it all gets paid for in the end.
This came from someone here who has worked in schools internationally.
It makes sense to pay us to do it, we're much cheaper!
If communism actually worked, there wouldn't be such disparity of wealth in communist countries.
Animal Farm should be seen as a public information film.
'Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others'
Human nature sadly.
Did you ever hear about the film version that was essentially made by the CIA?
Animal Farm (1954 film) - Wikipedia
Exactly this. If you are sole wage earner then it becomes impossible to strike.
Or they don't do practicals.
The most I had in school was a teacher demo maybe 3 or 4 times a year (for physics and chemistry, none for biology).
I lit my first Bunsen burner at Uni and had Chemistry and Biology up to A level at school with no practicals.
several european countries do no practicals before Uni as I understand it
Higher union membership (for those that can afford the fees) AND the ability to strike for more than just a day across the whole of Support Staff. Not clear we are going to get anywhere........
So I also understand.......and that's why we should all be concerned for the longer-term future of the role as science technicians. Particularly for the younger generations........I'm advocating for the younger folks with commitments, mortgages, rents, kids to feed, etc. and the unsustainability of the levels of pay for the responsibility required. Especially with SLTs that simply have no idea......goit asked the other day "why do we have to be so careful with 'just chemicals' and why are the Government concerned about certain ones ??" They of course meant the SYC list when I raised that "someone" had taken and not returned two off that list that were "missing"......... I knew who took them and where they were, but had to make the point to SLT that unless these were 'found' rapidly then I'd have to report them as missing. DON'T PANIC MR MAINWAIRING !!!!!
It's an invisible job isn't it? One of those professions where things get done but no one notices, no one asks how the 15+ (at busiest time) practicals a day are prepared, delivered safely and cleared away before another 15 the next day are done the same. The constant misunderstanding and just not seeing what we do happens in our schools and sometimes, even in our departmentsThe general public won't support us, they already think we all get 'paid time off' for the school holidays and a cushty 9-3pm work day, simply because we work in a school. It would require educating them about different school roles than just teachers contracts. One to one, when you discuss with people/friends/family and explain what you do, they are surprised how much responsibility we have and also how little we earn. I spent 23 years of my tech career working a full-time contract and every time people would be put back by me saying I'm in working during the school breaks, and would ask, "but what do you do if the kids aren't there?" must be nice to get paid to do nothing.
