Late call for reason

10:04am Wednesday 23rd April 2008

WHEN the National Union of Teachers announced at the beginning of the month that it planned to stage a one-day strike over pay, we hoped there was still time for damaging industrial action to be avoided.

But the first national teachers' strike in 21 years is due to go ahead tomorrow and more than 250 schools in our region will have to close. Hundreds more across the North-East and North Yorkshire will be operating on reduced timetables.

It could not come at a worse time as pupils prepare for crucial examinations and it is a course of action we cannot condone.

A pay rise of 2.45 per cent was the recommendation of the Independent School Teachers Review Body. That followed a well-established and lengthy process involving all teaching unions and it should be abided by.

And while we acknowledge the importance of the teaching profession, we do not believe the strike will have public sympathy.

There has to be an extremely good reason to harm the education of children and we do not believe the NUT has a convincing argument.

If tomorrow's strike goes ahead, it will simply disrupt youngsters at a hugely important time and have a knock-on effect on parents and employers.

With so much uncertainty surrounding Britain's economy, businesses need all hands to the pump, instead of having to find ways of coping without workers who have been forced to put parental responsibilities first.

Even at this late stage, we hope a sensible solution can be found.