Tomorrow, August 15th, primary teachers are going on strike. One thing they want is better pay – a 16% increase spread over two years. They also want teaching to be a more attractive career for young people. The average age of teachers is getting older and it is important for the future to attract new teachers.
Teaching is much harder these days because there are many behavioural problems among students and because there is so much paperwork which takes up time. Teachers want a better balance between work and their life.
Schools will be closed for the day. Of course, this creates a problem for parents who work during school hours. What do they do with their children? Some parents can take them to their office although that sounds very boring for the children and how can mum or dad get any work done if they constantly have to find things for their children to do? Some families are lucky to have grandparents or other retired friends who could look after the children for a day. Many parents will take the day off and lose one day of their annual holiday or lose a day’s pay. A teacher’s strike is inconvenient for parents. However, many parents support teachers because of the good job they do.
Teachers don’t go on strike very often. The last time was 1994. They will march in the streets tomorrow, carrying placards.
Vocabulary
• behavioural (adj) – from the noun behaviour, problems cause by bad behaviour
• placards (n) – signs