Every teacher I have met is at pains to tell me that "we work really hard during the six week summer holiday.Just because the children are off school, it doesn't mean we are too. We plan coursework, mark school work, attend meetings and training days - in fact, we are lucky to get a week to ourselves."
Given teachers are thinking of taking more industrial action, might it not be a good idea for them to take it during August when their actions wouldn't inconvenience working parents and disrupt the education of the children? After all, the children and their parents are not the cause of their complaints, so action timed not to damage or cause them harm or inconvenience would surely be a good thing? And if teachers really do work hard all through the summer holidays, taking strike action in August would be as effective as in June? Wouldn't it?
Unless, of course, causing inconvenience to parents and children is really their motive.....
UCL's lecturers went on strike during term time, despite teaching being ancillary to their main research work, which they concentrate on outside the university term time. I went to the rally held on one of the strike days - very few of the academic staff turned up. Less surprisingly is the sentiment in the student body that feels the academic staff are taking the piss. Incidentally The Tab ran an article recently that found students were most likely to vote Conservative: http://tab.co.uk/2014/04/08/politics/
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