Rallying call to save Royal British Legion clubs
- Today's leader
Aidan Long and Alan Roberts with other protesters outside the Sixth Form College in Shrewsbury
Teachers at Shropshire’s biggest A-level centre were manning picket lines today as part of a day-long strike over job losses and funding cuts which they claim will damage students’ education.
More than 40 staff were involved in today’s action at Shrewsbury Sixth Form College which was called by the National Union of Teachers. The college was closed to students today because of the strike.
NUT members say they are also furious over the “ruthless” way they claim the cuts in funding are being managed.
The union says that as a result of the management’s decision to restructure the college, a teacher and student leader, who has been employed at the centre for 16 years, is being made compulsorily redundant. One picket line was outside the college’s main gates with another outside the learning centre. Alan Roberts, the college’s NUT representative, today said: “We are here with great reluctance, none of us want to strike and it’s a last resort.”
Meanwhile, plans to cut staff pay at Shropshire Council by 5.4 per cent were due to go before councillors today after a last-ditch bid by unions to stop the process failed. Union bosses met council chiefs yesterday in an attempt to convince the authority to carry out more consultation about the cuts but were unsuccessful.
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One way of improving SSFC students education would be to close MacDonalds, where they seem to spend more time than in class.
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Perhaps they’re sussing out their future employers…..
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I used to work very close to the college and there were always crowds of students hanging around smoking all day too.
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Eleven pickets I counted in the picture, obviously they haven’t heard of the laws relating to picketting, makes you proud to be British.
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Aw, bless you! It’s not the ‘law’ that say there should only be about 6 people on pickets, just a code of practice, The police only have to be informed if there are more than 20. Well done Shrewsbury Sixth Form Teachers!
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It’s ok. People in the pic were gathered from different picket points for the purpose of the photo.
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Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986
provides the police with the power to impose conditions (for example, as to numbers,
location and duration) on public assemblies of 20 or more people where the assembly
is likely to result in serious public disorder; or serious damage to property; or serious disruption to the life of the community; or if its purpose is to coerce. So, 11 is OK, no problem. Yes Barbara, you make me proud to be British!
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I suppose that’s what an education does for you? Pity the little kiddiewinkies are being prevented from getting one by this lot.
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“which they claim will damage students’ education.”
but striking and denying the students access to education full stop doesnt?
Militants, get back to work!
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John, you blatantly don’t have a clue what your on about! Most students hang about in Subway…. Muppet!!
Due to the way student’s timetables work , they are often left with big gaps in between lessons, meaning they have nothing to do but hang around town (and spend money helping the economy ;)).
With many students from out of town it would be rather hard and expensive for them to travel in and out of town constantly for their lessons.
And where would you rather them hang out, in McDonalds (which you cant even spell properly) or start walking round graffitiing and generally causing havoc?
Yep, thanks for your time you mug!
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You have to feel sorry for them. Most of their students are already working very hard in different jobs on very small wages as well as studying. They may have even got extra work today. The Tutor’s strike is not therefore going to have the massively unjust impact on working parents of schoolchildren who have to make emergency arrangements for their offspring.
If they are striking on behalf of all the other council or other employees suffering the same ‘ruthless’ cuts then aren’t they noble, ha ha.
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Well done.
It’s time someone taught those Tories a lesson!
We need more strikes, not less.
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OOOOh Mr coles a rude boy, Cant see this lot making a difference, as said far to many on the picket line, complaint to the relevant people I think.As eve said I doubt they are thinking of any other public sector worker other than themselves as they stand there with their commie union banners. Get the new staff in on new contracts I say plenty waiting for the chance.
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As stated previously these people were gathered together for the purpose of the photograph and were all actually picketing in different locations so a complaint would be clearly wasted. And with an attitude that “these lot” won’t make a difference then no wonder things are the way they are. People need to stand up and fight for whats right not simply lay down and be walked all over. And as for new staff on new contracts – i’d love to see if you were quick enough to agree to this if it were your job on the line – this is the selfish attitude we are all faced with already so join the queue!!!
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Well i like many objectors on here are not affected , when did the NUT ever stick up for anyone other than teachers ?, when did they ever give verbal support or any support to the miners?,dockers? naff all came from that shower then and they will not get any support form the majority of people now .
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This is part of my point – until people are directly affected it does not concern them and i’m sure most people have been guilty of that at some point in their lives. If we all stood together and fought for whats right and supported each other we may get somewhere. People need to start remembering that there are other people in the same boat and stop the selfish attitudes and unite!!
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Mr. Cole, What I have seen of the students in the day, they cause mayhem along Pride Hill and in the shopping centres. I am sure that buying one roll from Subway will not help the Shrewsbury economy much.If these people are our future god help us. Muppet’s!!!!!!!
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As a former SSFC student I feel John Howard, Preringo and Annie need a reality check.
I travelled a round trip of 30 miles each day to attend college and as mentioned above the timetables leave large gaps of free time. What are students meant to do apart from kill time in town when they are unable to go home in between lessons?
I challenge them to have that much free time on their hands, lets see how they spend it without “hanging around”!
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Being over simplistic, studying?
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one-hundred-and-eighty!
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yes because we all studied 24/7 when we were a teenager didn’t we preringo? I doubt anyone could put their hand on their heart and say this was the case so a little reality check please!
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“When we were a tennager”???
Perhaps you should have studied harder, worker.
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“When we were a tennager”
Priceless
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Oh be picky over a grammatical error preringo and i’ll turn a blind eye to your spelling error of “tennager” – should’ve studied harder ey preringo? Touche my friend…….
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I support the strikers and hope they ignore the bile spewed at them by the usual suspects on here for having the temerity to resist unilaterally imposed changes to their terms of employment.
It’s true that empty vessells make the most noise. And those without a backbone.
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you really do sound like a dinosaur from the 70′s…
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‘A dinosaur from the 70s’, eh?
What a charming line in tabloid cliches you have their, Andy.
We often hear that Unions are ‘dinosaurs’ (and their general secretaries, ‘barons’, naturally) and that they’re ‘old fashioned’ and ‘irrelevant’.
But, I ask you what is old fashioned about expecting a contract to be honoured?
And what is so ‘modern’ about the richest 10% in our socity increasing their wealth, while the rest of us suffer a drop in our living standards?
With so many workers facing attacks on their pay and pensions, to keep the fat-cats in profit and with a goverment keen to strip away legislation that protects people in the workplace, I can’t think of anything MORE relevant than trade unions.
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I’d be more impressed if they were fighting for their English students,to have the opportunities they have benefitted from.
For equality with the Scottish, Welsh and Irish students who are not going to be paying extraordinary fees for further education and therefore risking a lifetime in debt.
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How is protecting your rights and conditions so bad Andy? based on your thoughts then you believe that the strikers should roll over and not protest??
Get a grip man.
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I do not see the big problem with people standing up for their rights and what they believe in. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and voice it in their own way – i therefore do not see the need for people to criticise and ridicule those who choose to do so. I see things on here all the time that i don’t necessarily agree with or understand completely people’s point of view, but i leave them to it as its’ their lives and they must feel strongly about it but it’s certainly not my place to criticise. Let people do their own thing just take the time to think from other people’s point of view for a change and just think that perhaps it is possible that not all facts are known or understood. I’m sure the majority of people if faced with a similar situation of job losses would think twice as they would naturally not appreciate people thinking they know it all and are always right!!!
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As some one said else where give them a choice contractual change or a mass cull through redundancy where they can take the chance it is not them . I am sure they are all well aware money needs to be saved and I am sure they supported all the other cuts , changes etc, so they should support my other opinion which is no pension reform no contractual change just redundancy to the unlucky ones .
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If that’s what The Lord thinks I can only be relieved I’m not religious. So sure of so much with so little need for evidence, sounds about right for an imaginary deity.
Oh, and the enthusiasm for culling (smiting?), that’s another give-away.
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