Workload

The ballot of members showed overwhelming majorities in support of the workload guidelines and of seeking their application in individual schools.

The turnout in the election, some 20 per cent of those balloted, is robust and significant. It was an indicative exercise and empowers the Union to pursue its campaign within individual schools.

Question 1
Do you support the guidelines published by the NUT on removing unnecessary workload?
Number voting YES . . . . . . . . . .40,892 (99.05%)
Number voting NO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .394 (0.95%)

Question 2
Would you be prepared to support a ballot for school based industrial action, without loss of pay, in order to address the problem of unnecessary workload where locally supported negotiations are unsuccessful?

Number voting YES . . . . . . . . . . .35,797 (87.22%)
Number voting NO . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,243 (12.78%)

Guidelines welcomed

The Union’s workload guidelines have been widely welcomed in schools as the most concise compilation available of teachers’ conditions of service and policies on workload. They will be reviewed regularly with a fully updated version being published on the NUT’s website.

Improving conditions in schools

In the spring term of 2007, the NUT will publish and distribute guidance to NUT school representatives on the deployment of the workload guidelines and the procedures to seek support through industrial action where discussion, consultation and negotiation are unsuccessful. These will be local, in-school procedures which will vary from school to school according to the circumstances and the extent to which teachers’ concerns are being met.

Improving education

The removal of excessive and unnecessary workload, the reduction in teachers’ working time and the achievement of a better work/life balance for teachers will benefit the profession. It will be good for teachers, their families and the children in our schools.

NUT General Secretary, Steve Sinnott, said:

“The ballot results fully support the NUT’s campaigns to improve teachers’ conditions and reduce workload.”

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