European Trade Union Committee for Education

The NASUWT, one of the EI/ETUCE affiliates from the UK, has been engaged in a long-running and creative campaign of industrial action designed to protect teachers but also to be friendly to pupils, parents and the public. The industrial action campaign, also referred to as Standing up for Standards is focused on asking members of the Union to "walk the line" on working conditions which teachers themselves believe are essential to the provision of the highest quality teaching and learning for pupils. The campaign prioritises a range of measures designed to protect its member's jobs, pay and working conditions through industrial action short of strike action.

"The teaching profession in the UK is on the verge of a crisis. The relentless attack on every aspect of teachers' working lives is taking its toll" Chris Keates, General Secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT), denounces.

The NASUWT is in dispute with governments/administrations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland over adverse changes to teachers' pay and pensions, excessive workload in schools, and the threat to jobs across England, Wales and Scotland since 2011, and in Northern Ireland since 2009. These changes have included significant erosion of teachers' pay, a two year pay freeze, the introduction of crude merit pay systems, increased pension contributions and the imposition of an unjustified and unsustainable increase in the pension ages for teachers. The impact reported is an impending crisis in recruitment and retention in the teaching profession.

"The assault on teachers in the UK is symptomatic of trends in other countries to undermine the status of teachers and to weaken their professionalism", Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT Deputy General Secretary and member of the Executive Board of Education International said.

NASUWT campaign 'Standing up for Standards' ties in with a series of actions carried out by NASWUT during the year, which was reported by the ETUCE in the framework of the EI/ETUCE initiative Unite for Quality Education. NASWUT action to defend public education, the interest of teachers and the teaching profession is consistent with the 10 Key messages on 'What is needed to improve the Quality of Education in Europe?,' approved by the ETUCE Committee on 23-24 October 2013.

A detailed description of the campaign Standing up for Standards is available on NASUWT website.

The report of NASUWT on activities is available on ETUCE Unite for Quality Education campaign webpage.