LONDON (AA) - Teachers in England have gone on one day strike on Thursday for the second time this month causing the closure or partially closure of 3,492 schools in capital London, the North East and South East of the country.
In a statement the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said that they regretted the disruption caused by strike action but felt that they had "no other choice to demonstrate their concerns about the government's proposals".
3,492 schools across England are closed on Thursday as the UK’s two largest teaching unions, the NUT and NASUWT, went on a regional strike. British Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the strikes were "inconvenient for parents" and "not good for pupils' education". As the British government is proposing bringing in performance related pay, increased workloads and changes to teachers pensions, debates have been ongoing among educators.
London Metropolitan police told Anadolu Agency that around 10,000 people attended the walk organized by two unions who later on gathered in front of the Emmanuel Centre.
Stephen Ross a teacher who was on strike in the Newham area of London, speaking to Anadolu Agency, said, "what the government is doing to education is ludicrous. They are bringing in performance related pay. This doesn't work. A lot of fabulous work teachers do cannot be measured."
Another teacher, Roseanne from Sutton who attended the rally in Emmanuel Centre said, she has been a primary school teacher for three years now and stated that the performance related pay would affect their annual pay rise. "If I don't hit the target, then I may think about moving to private schools. I cannot afford a mortgage with my salary", she said.
A department of education spokesperson told Anadolu Agency in a statement that they were disappointed the teaching unions were "striking over the government's measures to allow heads to pay good teachers more. In a recent poll, 61 percent of respondents supported linking teachers' pay to performance."
Some working parents had to find alternative childcare because the schools were closed. Earlier in October, a day long regional strike took place which caused the closure of 2,500 schools. The two unions have also announced plans for a national one-day walkout before Christmas.
