Teachers’ strike sees schools close across Tower Hamlets for mass protest
Teachers strike outside Langdon Park School - Credit: Archant
Schools across the borough shut their doors today for a mass walkout of teachers as part of a national strike over changes to their pay and workload.
Almost all of the borough’s 90 schools will be closed or partly closed all day.
Teachers and supporters met at Langdon Park School in Bright Street, Poplar, and are marching to central London for a demonstration at 11.30.
The strike is part of the NUT’s Stand Up for Education campaign against the policies of education secretary Michael Gove, which they say are forcing young teachers out of the profession.
Alex Kenny, secretary of Tower Hamlets NUT, said: “In Tower Hamlets almost every school has people out on strike.
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“Michael Gove just isn’t listening to our concerns about the effects of his changes on pay and teacher workloads.
“More and more teachers are telling us they can’t sustain the workload at it’s current level.”
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Mr Kenny said the government should trust teachers to do their jobs without having to waste time on bureaucracy.
He said teachers don’t enjoy striking but have been forced to take this action by the education secretary.
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “Parents will struggle to understand why the NUT is pressing ahead with strikes over the government’s measures to let heads pay good teachers more.
“Despite constructive engagement with their concerns, the NUT is taking action that will disrupt parents’ lives, hold back children’s education and damage the reputation of the profession.”