A teachers’ union has called for a maximum 35-hour working week for the profession as part of a new manifesto published today.
The NASUWT’s Manifesto For Teachers asks for action on pay, “spiralling” workloads and long working hours.
The union warned that schools and colleges are under huge pressure because of funding cuts.
Political parties have been been urged to commit to a “New Deal For Teachers” in their general election manifestos, including real-terms pay restoration, the right for every child to be taught by a qualified teacher, a commitment to increase teacher numbers and improve teacher-pupil ratios, and access to affordable housing for teachers who work in areas of high-cost housing.
The NASUWT says that statutory, contractual conditions of service for all teachers and headteachers should include a maximum 35-hour working time limit.
And the union calls for action to widen participation in teaching by requiring school employers to have agreed flexible-working policies and to report annually on the number of flexible-working requests made and granted.
Teachers ‘broken by excessive working hours’
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “No government can claim to value teachers whilst presiding over a system that has seen teachers’ pay fall by more than 25 per cent in real terms in the last decade.”
He also highlighted “mounting evidence” of teachers “being broken by excessive working hours” and by the unsustainable demands placed on them.
“The status and morale of teachers and headteachers as members of a highly regarded and accordingly remunerated occupation need to be protected and enhanced,” Mr Roach added.
“We urge all parties to commit to pursuing this policy platform. Teachers are voters too and we ask all political parties to listen and respond to the priorities identified by the teaching profession.”
Other recommendations in the union’s manifesto include:
- Strengthening legislation and guidance to tackle violence, assault or harassment of teachers from pupils and parents.
- Ending “the two-tier teacher workforce” by securing equal rights for supply teachers, including equal pension rights and protections.
- An independent review of the Teaching Regulation Agency and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
- Establishing a right for all teachers to paid time off to develop their knowledge and skills, and the right to paid sabbatical leave every five years to aid teacher retention.
