Lambeth Teacher with Lambeth NUT

Are working conditions being flouted where you work?

Career prospects for teachers?

There was once a time,in the days of voluntary after school meetings that we as a Union opposed the 1265 hour imposition.

Over the last ten years, even in those schools where INSET days (formerly holiday) have been joyous gatherings plus a free lunch, time has taken its toll on teachers.

However annoying those pointless, 'top down' meetings have been with last minute handouts, Advisor newspeak and off-the-point review sheets, teachers by and large have soldiered through.

One thing we never dreamt would happen was that we would defend those 1265 hours. We have now reached a point - and the National union must take this seriously - that managers and governing bodies are, to put it bluntly, trying it on. The Lilian Baylis experience is a warning to all teachers and all trade unions. Every attempt has been made to tear up the Pay and Conditions document by, among other things, enforcing a working directed day which means that 1265 is exceeded.There are some important guidelines that School Reps and members in general should be aware of.

The important paragraph to refer to in Pay and Conditions is Paragraph 51. Management direction can only be given to 1265 hours in total. Directed time should not, therefore, be more than 32.5 hours per week.

The number of hours worked must be noted. Every teacher does additional hours undirected in terms of marking and preparation as part of her or his professional duties. The new EU directive on working hours clearly states that, unless the worker is a key executive, the total number of hours worked must not exceed 48. If allowing for the variations that may occur some weeks - parents evenings, school performances, exam marking and so on - it is vital that no teacher exceeds this limit if measured over half a term or so.

Union guidelines can protect teachers from much of the nonsense, however only by members being vigilant on the ground will there be any meaning to the action.

All too often are teachers persuaded into activities that in the long run harmful to them. The TUC has advised for many years of the need to have a lunchtime break. It is actually a health issue. (How many of us work through lunch without management direction?) Yet, many attempts have been made to reduce that lunch break which has been the only time between 8.00AM and 5.00PM that some teachers have had to unwind. The long-term effect of this is becoming clear - the living jump at any early retirement package on offer. While the dead are not renown for the best of lesson planning.

The time for school groups to meet is now - invite in a Regional Official or a Local Officer if need be. If ever there was a lesson of the last ten years it is that Lambeth as an authority or school managers can pick off teachers one by one. Standing together is everything.

Are they trying it on in your school?

The Pay and Conditions document assumes that everyone is reasonable. Hours worked will be reasonable. Instructions will be reasonable. Managers will be reasonable.

So how many hours is reasonable? How many meetings per-week is reasonable. This is such a vital issue because theere are so many cases of managers thinking that meetings can be as endless as they want,as frequent as they want. Pre-school briefings are called each day.

The NUT (with NASUWT) has balloted for action and the advice to members is quite clear: NUT members need not attend more than a total of 60 minutes meetings per week. If there are pre-school briefings, the time taken will be deducted from the 60 minutes.

There will be no more than one after school meeting per week, but if there is an urgent reason to call a second one in a particualr week, with proper notice of 5 working days, that may happen, but it would need to be cancelled out by the following week having no meeting after school at all.

Management will say that they are directing staff, according to Pay and Conditions. The National Union of teachers, protects every member refusing to accept this bureaucratic overload because of an existing ballot for action that is still in place. Copies of this documentation are available if you contact the branch office.

Our action has started to be successful. One headteacher was not only increasing the level of meetings this term, but was expecting staff to be directed during lunch times, which is illegal. Thanks to the members standing firm and the intervention of the NUT, the Headteacher quite sensibly is prepared to negotiate.

In another situation, the Headteacher wanted members to attend a meeting at 6.00PM, no warning given. Again, the mere mention of the union's concern about this brought a hasty retreat!

If you are in doubt about your obligations, please contact us at the Lambeth branch office.

Charles Edward Brooke - a better example.

At Lambeth branch meetings, reports are given that show just how much variance there is within the borough. Much depends on two things: Firstly, the degree to which the headteacher values the staff. Secondly, the unions, particularly the NUT ensuring that conditions are never imposed which are unacceptable.

Following the union guidelines, the unions and the management have agreed that there will only be one 60 minute meeting per week involving all staff.

There are other meetings involving senior managers , but meetings for pastoral and middle managers are scheduled within the one hour a week quota - other staff have no meetings in those weeks - and are well within the 1265 hours.

Apart from parents' evenings, which are a separate concern, there is no compulsion for staff stay behind beyond the hour.

When, for example the open evening was organised, the work was divided between those putting up displays and those staying for the evening, rather than the poorly managed approach employed in so many schools where all staff stay the whole time, quite needlessly. AT CEBS, the open evening is counted as two 'weeks' - worth of meeting time which together with similar arrangements for other events during the academic year, mean that CEBS staff attend after school meetings for a maximum of 36 hours per year. Staff without posts of responsibility do less than 36 hours.

If you wish to know more about CEB please contact us.

There are other forms of good practice. For example, at St. Martins-in-the-Field, following a late evening with parents, they quite sensibly arranged a late start.

It is perhaps re-assuring that even in this day and age that some managers value the welfare of their staff.