| Headteachers in the NAHT (Members of the National Association of Head Teachers) have voted to join public sector general strike on November 30th. Some 24,000 members were balloted and turnout was 53.6%, with 75.8% in favour of strike action, the NAHT said. NAHT members are the Headteachers in 85% of Primary schools and 40% of Secondary schools. The NAHT join the NUT and ATL whose members have already voted to strike. This will mean an effective shutdown of every school. The NASUWT is now balloting more than 230,000 members across the UK for strike action. The results will be known on 18 November. The National Union of Teachers (NUT), which only represents teachers in England and Wales, has voted for continuing action over pensions. It is the first time the NAHT has voted in favour of such action in its 114-year history. On 30th June the ATL took the its first strike action. The teaching profession is angered by planned government changes to the teachers' pension scheme (TPS) which, it says, will mean teachers working longer, paying more and receiving less when they retire. While the TPS is available to teachers in England and Wales, it is likely that teachers in Northern Ireland and Scotland will face similar changes to their pension schemes. This led the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) to ballot its members in Northern Ireland and Scotland for strike action - members there have voted to join their English and Welsh colleagues in a programme of industrial action. The other head teachers' union, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said it would move to a ballot if it felt negotiations had failed or were not progressing satisfactorily. ASCL would not have time to ballot members in time for strike action on 30 November. The FDA, First Division Association (senior civil servants) is balloting 10,000 members. It closes on 14th November. Prospect is balloting 30,000 members in the Civil Service. It closes on 14th November. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) ballot closes on 14th November. The GMB ballot opened on 31st October and closes on 16th November. UNITE is balloting its 250,000 members in the public sector. It’s ballot opened on 26th October and closes on 16th November. The NASUWT teachers union is balloting 200,000 members. The ballot closes on 17th November. The probation officers union NAPO ballot closes on 17th November. UCATT are balloting members in local government, the NHS and civil service. |