Safeguarding Ends December 2008

The NUT seeks to protect members against pay cuts from loss of safeguarding through recruitment and retention payments to maintain pay at the same level as previously. Such payments are legally permissible, since the governing body’s decision will be that the payment is necessary to retain the teacher and avoid the risk that they will look for employment elsewhere as a result of the loss of safeguarding. Such payments are limited to three years in the first instance but may be renewed on the same basis.

NUT advice on MA safeguarding is available at www.teachers.org.uk.

REMOVAL OF SAFEGUARDING: IMPLICATIONS FOR TEACHERS

The NUT’s position is that teachers who lose MA safeguarding should not be required to undertake any responsibility for which they previously received an MA unless an appropriate TLR payment is made.

Some teachers will have known since December 2005 that they will lose their MA safeguarding and will not receive a TLR payment. They may or may not have known that they will be expected to carry on with those responsibilities.

Some teachers will only now encounter proposals to reorganise staffing structures and withdraw TLR payments, either before or after they start to be paid. In all such situations, casework may arise.

The Union will be advising such members - “Don’t Work for Free”.

Teachers on UPS3

Some head teachers continue to argue that UPS3 teachers can be required to undertake additional work without appropriate TLR payments, simply because they are on UPS3. This is simply not the case.

The professional responsibilities for classroom teachers on the Upper Pay Scale are identical to those for teachers on the Main Scale. There is no provision which permits greater demands to be made upon classroom teachers on the basis of their position on the pay scale, be that M6, UPS1 or UPS3. The criteria for payment of TLR payments apply equally to all classroom teachers so that any responsibility should attract the same level of additional payment whoever undertakes that responsibility.

No teacher, therefore, may be required to undertake additional responsibilities without an appropriate TLR payment simply on the basis they are on UPS3 or the Upper Pay Scale.