St Mary Magdalene Academy warns teachers over joining pensions day of action

Published: 24th June, 2011
by ANDREW JOHNSON

TEACHING unions have expressed concern that an Islington secondary school has tried to prevent staff joining a national strike on Thursday.

Thousands of teachers will join the strike over pensions after voting overwhelmingly in favour. 

The walkout is part of a coordinated day of action by public sector workers.

But teachers at St Mary Magdalene Academy, in Liverpool Road, Holloway, were sent a memo on Friday by headteacher Paul Holl­ingum warning them off strike action.

“I am expecting the school will operate as normal on the 30th,” he said. The memo added: “The situation for the academy with regard to industrial action is that we are in the same position as an independent school. 

“This requires any union that wishes to take industrial action to inform the governors that they intend to ballot our staff and needs to follow all other legislation surrounding such votes.

“This has not happened. There has obviously been a national vote but that is not relevant here. You may even have voted in a national ballot for strike action but we are separate from that.”

But the National Union of Teachers insists Mr Hollingum is wrong.

Ken Muller, NUT assistant branch secretary in Islington, said: “This strike is about pensions. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher at Eton, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson or St Mary Magdalene, we all receive the same pension. It is the one issue we can all strike together as one.”

He added that union attempts to negotiate with Mr Hollingum had been rebuffed by the principal for the last 18 months.

“We have concerns about the working conditions at the school,” he said.

“We have pointed out to Mr Hollingum that we are a recognised trade union. It must be intimidating to our members for a headteacher to put so much pressure on them not to support action called for after a national ballot. 

“I’m personally surprised that a headteacher wouldn’t want to support his staff over something as important as pensions.”

Mr Hollingum declined to comment.