Teachers to strike at city primary

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) say the governing body of St Matthews Primary in Leeds is refusing to sign up to a “city-wide” agreement on pay.

The chairman of governors at the school, Jackie Claxton-Ruddock, said the action was being called because the union objected to the new wording of a school policy which says that it may “honour portability”.

Portability means that a teachers salary is protected when they move jobs.

A statement from the chairman of governors said: “St Matthew’s is not the only school in Leeds to have made this change of wording in their policy, so we are unsure as to why the union has taken this extreme action solely against our school.”

Leeds NUT branch official Richard Raftery said the school’s refusal to sign up to a city-wide agreement could lead to a climate of resentment among teachers. He also voiced concern that schools deciding to break away from a city-wide pay deal would lead to teachers being paid less.