The NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union is today
highlighting how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the unfair and
unjust treatment of supply teachers, many of whom are struggling
to find work.
The NASUWT motion to the TUC Congress highlights with concern
that much of the UK economy is based upon low paid and insecure
work, including education.
The education sector is identified as having the some of the
fastest growth in insecure work, leading to a growing use of
largely unregulated umbrella companies, which make vast profits
while depressing teacher pay.
The NASUWT motion calls on the TUC General Council to lobby the
Government and MPs for laws to ensure workers have the right to
refuse to be employed through an umbrella company.
It also calls for a licensing scheme to monitor and review
compliance of employment businesses and umbrella companies
operating in education and prohibit public sector bodies to uses
agencies and umbrella companies which fail to meet minimum
standards.
NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said:
“Supply teachers make a really valuable contribution to pupils’
education and schools need to be confident they can call upon an
available pool of supply teachers as they seek to maintain
provision throughout the crisis and beyond.
“But the NASUWT is deeply concerned that the current system is
failing to support teachers or to benefit children, young people
and schools.
“Supply teachers often have no choice but to obtain work via
different supply agencies, leaving them vulnerable to the
vagaries of precarious, intermittent and insecure employment and
those vulnerabilities have worsened during this pandemic.
“The Government needs to intervene to extend the provision of
financial support for supply teachers during this incredibly
challenging time.
“The NASUWT is calling for Ministers to prioritise additional job
protection funding for supply teachers who cannot get work as a
result of the COVID-safety measures that schools are expected to
implement.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The text of the motion is as follows:
Congress notes that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how much of
the UK economy is based upon low-paid, insecure and intermittent
employment, often through employment businesses or umbrella
companies.
Congress further notes that the education sector is one of
the sectors identified as having the fastest growth in insecure
work.
Congress deplores the growing trend towards the casual isa
took of work, precarious employment and the use of umbrella
companies, who make substantial profits and are largely
unregulated, whilst depressing the pay of supply teachers.
Congress believes that this trend has brought into sharp
focus practices whereby supply teachers have been furloughed
under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and have been paid at
only 80% of the National Minimum Wage.
Congress calls upon the General Council to:
-
lobby the Government and parliamentarians for specific
legislation to ensure that workers have the right to decide
whether or not to be employed through an umbrella company;
-
press for a licensing scheme to monitor and review
compliance of employment businesses and umbrella companies
operating in education; and
-
campaign for public procurement rules to be strengthened so
that public sector bodies are prohibited from using employment
agencies and umbrella companies which fail to meet minimum
standards.
